Something to Believe In
by FromTheClouds
Summary: Her whole life, Kyra has felt a call to something greater. She joins The Resistance to flee from a life that wasn't her own. Content with her low-profile job within the medical corps, General Organa assigns her to work with Black Squadron. When Kyra meets Commander Poe Dameron, he helps her discover what she is capable of. Takes place before/during TFA, slow-burn Poe/OC
1. Pilot

Poe sat quietly in the barren waiting room, and had long since given up finding distractions to keep his mind occupied. Due to the Resistance's limited budget, the waiting room of the medical ward was basically just a normal hospital room, but instead of a bed and monitors, a few uncomfortable chairs lined up against the blank walls. There wasn't even anything to read. The only thing that separated himself from the medical corridor was a thin plastic curtain. He heard shuffling feet and hushed voices, which were growing quieter as time passed and night came.

The explosion had been unexpected, and it was simply a streak of luck that had kept him safe, even though afterwards his ears were ringing, he was miraculously okay, besides a few minor scrapes from diving to the ground in terror. He had always been able to remain calm in stressful situations. It was what made him a good pilot, but watching something combust from far away was a lot different than something up close.

It had just been like any other day, the pilots were running drills and training apprentices. It happened so suddenly. One of the men in his squadron, Lathan had been the most injured out of everyone around. Some others were burned and scraped up, and currently receiving treatment, others he had sent home to rest, which is why he currently sat in the waiting room alone. A nurse had asked to look him over, but he had declined. He knew he was fine, and it was unnecessary, even though they'd insisted.

He wanted to wait until Lathan was out of surgery and stabilized. It was the right thing for him to do, even though it had been hours and he was exhausted. He had left the medical ward earlier, briefly, to speak to General Organa, and her mechanics had chalked it up to faulty machinery, which Poe didn't have a hard time believing, considering Lathan's fighter had surely seen better days.

Poe'd been sitting for so long the time seemed to blend together, and even though he wasn't the anxious type, he was growing worried. Leaning forward, he focused on the tiled floor, that was clean for the most part besides some specks and streaks of dirt. The sanitation workers probably hadn't come here yet today. Poe heard the curtain being pulled back, the commotion from the hallway now visible to him. The doctor who'd helped Lathan earlier entered, and he straightened up.

"Poe Dameron, right?" she asked, and he nodded. He recognized the woman vaguely, he must have met her before. He knew most everyone who worked on the Resistance base, but not many of the medical staff. He may have seen her around during weapons training that everyone was required to complete.

"I'm Dr. Juun," she introduced herself. She had whispy dark blonde hair that was mussed out of its braid it was clipped in, and her eyes were sunken and tired, with purple circles underneath. Besides her obvious exhaustion, however, she looked relatively young for a doctor. "One of the nurses told me I might find you here."

"Oh?" Poe asked, blinking, as the fluorescent lights were becoming irritating. She carried a datapad in one hand, but it rested at her side. Her light grey uniform was a pleasant contrast against the stark white of the room, and he watched her sit in the chair across from him.

"I wanted to let you know your friend is doing well," she said, pulling her chair forward slightly so it was closer to Poe. "We expect him to make a full recovery."

Poe stood, relief flooding over him. "May I go visit him?"

"I understand you're excited," she motioned for him to sit, and he did. "He's resting now. But he'll be ready for visitors tomorrow."

"Oh," Poe said, and his eyes locked on her.

"And I know you were around during the explosion earlier," she continued. "I wanted to make sure you were feeling all right."

"I'm feeling fine," he answered with a weak smile.

"No hearing loss, headaches?" She squinted at him slightly, cocking an eyebrow.

"No," Poe shook his head.

"Okay," she continued. "Well if you start to feel bad, we have doctors and medics working around the clock who can care for you."

Poe nodded. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Anyways," she said. "I thought it'd be best if I came to let you know how Lathan was doing after my shift ended."

"I appreciate it," he said, watching her stand and push the chair back into place precisely where it had been. "What did you say your name was again?"

"Dr. Juu- uh, Krya," she cleared her throat. "My name is Kyra."

"Kyra," He repeated. "It was nice to meet you, thank you for taking care of Lathan," he offered her his hand.

She started at his hand for a moment before taking it and shaking it firmly. "It's my job," she replied, releasing her grip. "I know it's been a long day for you," she said, facing him. "You should probably get some rest."

"You should too," he suggested, eyeing her tired eyes and slumped shoulders.

"I was going to grab something to eat before I head to my room," she confessed. "I haven't eaten since lunch."

The mere mention of sustenance made Poe's stomach growl, he had forgotten about it in the chaos, and hadn't wanted to leave the infirmary in the off chance any news came. "Do you mind if I join you?" he asked, she walked past him.

She paused, looking at him over her shoulder, "Not at all," she said. "I just have to grab some things before I head out."

"That's fine," Poe responded.

* * *

The cafeteria dining area was open throughout the day, but always closed at night. However, because many shifts worked by those in the Resistance had unusual hours, there were always leftover meals and snacks left in the refrigerators. Poe sometimes had to utilize them after returning from missions late at night, but it'd been awhile.

Kyra wasn't especially talkative, and he didn't know whether that was her demeanor or if she was just tired. This was very unlike Poe, who enjoyed talking and socializing and getting to know others. They sat across from one another, eating in silence before he spoke up.

"So," he began. "I have to say, I feel like I've met you before."

"You have," she said, after swallowing a bite of her food. "I remember meeting you, it was a while ago."

Poe felt bad, because even though she looked vaguely familiar to him, she wouldn't have remembered her name before she told him. "Oh, I apologize. I should have remembered your name."

Krya shook her head. "It's all right. I'm sure you meet a lot of people. I don't always remember all my patients. Like I said, it was awhile back."

He was relieved she didn't mind.

"The only reason I remember you is because I hear your name a lot," she raised her eyebrows at him.

"Yeah," he chuckled. "I'm kind of a big deal around here," he joked.

She scoffed. "Oh, I know."

Poe wasn't sure how to respond after that, so he chewed on a bite of food and swallowed before continuing. "How long have you been with the Resistance?"

"A little under a year," she said, looking pensive.

"What brought you here?" he continued. He loved hearing the stories and explanations of the people who worked around him. It was his favorite part of the movement, how it's ideals and purposes brought people together and made them unified. Most people had a great passion for the work they did, and Krya didn't seem like an exception.

Kyra bit her lower lip before shrugging. "I'd heard a little about it on the news and it interested me. I was unhappy, I needed a way to get out of where I was. So that led me here."

"Where were you?" asked Poe, studying her face.

He noticed her body language changed from relaxed to rigid quickly, and she appeared to become slightly closed off before pushing a piece of her hair out of her face. Her braid was disheveled after the day of work. "It's a long story."

Poe could sense it wasn't something she was interested in going into by the way she quickly changed the subject.

"So, how about you? How long have you been involved with the Resistance?"

Poe straightened up, taking a bite of the leftovers he ate. "Two years," he said after swallowing the food.

"So if I need someone to show me the ropes, I should ask you, right?" she teased.

"If you've already been here a year, shouldn't you know the ropes by now?" he asked playfully.

Kyra rolled her eyes. "There's a surprising amount I still don't know," she began. "For example, I didn't know that this place was open after dinner until a few weeks ago," she gestured to the cafeteria. "I used to go home after night shifts absolutely starved and have to eat crackers in my room for dinner."

"Fair enough," Poe chuckled. "You seem awfully young to be a doctor," he observed out loud, and then immediately regretted his word choice. "I didn't mean that in, in a rude way, I just wasn't sure how this came to be your career choice.

"I know what you meant," Kyra said, taking a quick sip of tea. "My father was an apothecary and a farmer," she answered, lighting up. "He taught me most of what I knew, then when I left home I took the classes I needed to get my certification."

"Do you like doing that here?" he asked.

The corner of her mouth pulled up slightly in a smirk. "It's not bad. I'm new, though, so I have to do a lot of the brunt work," she paused. "Anyways, they're training new medics and doctors, so I won't be as overworked once they're certified."

They finished their meal and said goodbye, and Poe watched the woman walk out of the cafeteria to go back to her dorm. It was then that his exhaustion hit him, and he knew that he had a debrief with General Organa in the morning before his next mission. He figured it would be best to get some rest in the meantime.

* * *

Kyra pressed her thumb against the scanner on her door and heard it click open as it recognized her fingerprint. For the most part, she had no complaints about the Resistance Base's dormitories. Some people who worked for the movement shared their small dormitories, but she was lucky enough to live alone.

Most nights after returning from work, she would go on a walk outside or read a book. However, this evening she was absolutely exhausted. She went into her small bathroom and shed her uniform, which had remained surprisingly clean despite the circumstances of today, and stepped into the shower. The warm water ran over her body, soothing her aching muscles and quelling the headache she had felt begin to stir.

She was surprised that she had ended up spending a good part of the evening speaking with Poe Dameron. He was a prominent figure in the Resistance. He was the handsome pilot who always seemed to look like he had walked straight out of a Resistance recruitment poster. As fitting as the role might have been, General Organa had always kept those advertisement models from ever going on missions, they took positions in sanitation and food service. Poe was too talented of a pilot to ever risk being so openly exposed to the First Order, especially when he was actively doing work and traveling all around the galaxy.

Kyra had met him before, and he had been pleasant, but she wasn't taken off guard that he hadn't remembered her. The Resistance was already large, and grew everyday. In reality, the only people one got to know were the people they interacted with on a daily basis. Kyra had one close friend, Philomela, but mostly kept a professional relationship with her coworkers. It was nice to have a meal with someone she didn't know well, though.

She had to be up in less than five hours, so she quickly got dressed into pajamas and curled up under the covers. Silently, to herself, she hoped tomorrow wouldn't be as hectic.

* * *

 **Hello all, this is my first Star Wars fic, so go easy on me. I have only seen the movies and am an avid fan of those, so I don't know much beyond those, but I've been doing a lot of research in order to make this as accurate and close to canon as possible. Please let me know what you think!**


	2. Capability

The sun rose over the horizon, painting the sky brilliant shades of pink, orange, and purple. The colors wove themselves in and out of one another, blending together so impeccably it was difficult to determine where one ended and the others began. It was silent outside, and the only thing audible was Kyra's feet crunching against dead leaves as she traveled through the woods, and the avians in the trees around her. She held a book in one hand, a piece of fruit in the other as she wove her way down the small path next to the river. Every now and then, she poked her head up from the book to be sure she wouldn't lose her footing, taking a bite of the fruit before losing herself again in the literature.

The library at the Resistance was small, but still had a great selection of things to read, and Krya was slowly making her way through them. Whether it was a biography of a great leader or a mechanic's guide to an X-wing, she still did her best to read them all. It had been the only thing that kept her entertained over the past year, it was her way of escaping from the stress of each day and losing herself in a life that wasn't her own. Her life wasn't exactly exciting. Sometimes she wished there was more to it. But the Resistance Base was better than where she had been. This was even better than her fathers farm, although often she reminisced on her younger days, getting lost in one of his fields with her older sister guiding her along.

Kyra took walks every morning before her shifts, sometimes at dawn and other times in the afternoon, and sometimes she even took a walk after work to unwind. She usually took the same route, a footpath to the river, where she'd be left alone and could watch the sun rise and reflect off the water from her perch on a rock. Other times she'd walk to town, and look inside the windows of the shops that were still closed, but might be interrupted by one of the drunk soldiers stumbling home after falling asleep at the pub or shopowners on their way to open up their stores.

After her walk, Krya returned to her small dormitory and made herself a cup of coffee, gulping it down quickly before brushing her teeth and stepping into her uniform. As a doctor, it was a pepper-gray jumpsuit with a white armband that had a red cross on it. Each doctor was given three that could be interchanged if one needed to be washed. Besides these uniforms, she didn't own many other clothes, unless she included the regulation undergarments and shirts she could wear underneath clothing or when she wasn't on duty. Members of The Resistance weren't restricted in what they could wear unless they were working, Kyra just didn't own many other clothing items.

She made her way to the medical bay, checking in for her shift at the lounge where the staff could nap, eat and get ready. Kyra greeted her friend, Philomela, a nurse who was sitting in the small kitchenette eating breakfast.

"How is your double?" Kyra asked, referring to the shift she'd worked the day before. Philomela already looked exhausted after the evening.

Philomela had bonded with Kyra over their love of stories and studies. Like Kyra, Philomela was always enthusiastic about learning new things, consuming information as a hobby and a way of entertainment. She loved that they could connect over insignificant facts and details that may never come to be useful, but were fascinating nonetheless.

"It's been fine so far," she said, laughing. "But I'm only halfway through." Philomela greeted her friend with a smile as she checked in, adjusting the collar of her white uniform and the blue armband that denoted her status as a nurse. Kyra never understood the white uniforms, as they were easily soiled by a day on the job, however, she supposed they were helpful as they stood out among a crowd in the case of an emergency at the base.

"How's the day?" Kyra wondered.

"Not too busy so far," Philomela informed, her slight accent offering a lilt to her already smooth voice. Silently, Kyra hoped it would stay that way.

When she had been training as a doctor, she had found patients coding or medical emergencies to be a thrill, but the more they happened the more she realized how devastating their effects could be on the patient. Of course, she was able to remain cool and collected in tumultuous circumstances, but all medical personnel had been prepared to react in that way. It was in their bones, what made them able to do what they did. Almost everyone on the base, she thought, the pilots and soldiers, all knew how to be collected when their lives were threatened. She supposed the movement's endurance depended on it.

"Your patient from yesterday, Lathan, is doing well," Philomela cut Kyra from her daydream. "I was looking after him all night, minimal pain and when I just checked on him a moment ago said he was hungry so I ordered him some food."

"That's good," Kyra said, knowing she'd have to check in with him first thing to let him know about physical therapy and his prosthetic leg. It was unfortunate he had to have an amputation, but she suspected he'd be back out in the field relatively quickly, given the support of his squadron and his own spirit.

"That Poe Dameron was visiting him bright and early this morning," Philomela informed. "Said he talked to you last night after he got out of surgery."

"He waited in that waiting room for hours last night," Kyra said, raising her eyebrows. "I can't believe he got here to visit before I even came in."

Philomela nodded, sighing. "I guess all the hype around him is true, he seemed very sincere when we spoke."

Kyra nodded, thinking back to their meal together the night before before speaking up. "Well, I wish I could stay and chat, but I'm already running late. Are you going to be at the debrief this evening?"

"I don't think I have a choice," Philomela answered, referring to the meeting the medical staff had with General Organa that night. "I think things are going to get serious very soon," she said, speaking of the growing unrest between The Resistance and The First Order, "Hopefully it won't be long, I think she just wants us to be prepared."

* * *

After her shift ended, Kyra made her way to the debriefing room located not far from the hangars, where the pilots and soldiers spent their days working. She arrived just on time, as General Organa called the meeting to order, and slipped into a seat next to Philomela. Kyra had always admired General Organa, who always looked polished, but was able to command the attention of a room, remaining firm and stern but still approachable. Kyra had known very little about her before joining The Resistance, and even though they had only spoke one-to-one a handful of times, remembered Kyra's name and was always appreciate of everyone's work.

"I'd like to thank you all for being here, even though this meeting was mandatory," General Organa greeted. "For those medical staff who could not be here since they are working, I will be sending out meeting minutes to everyone. I just wanted to majority of you in here so I could answer any questions you have."

"As many of you know," Leia began, "tensions between the First Order and the Resistance have been rising since they first caught wind of our existence. This should come as no surprise, however, it is best to be prepared against any attacks that may arise. Although our informants have told us the First Order has yet to know anything about our whereabouts, I am going to put a mandate on weekly weapons trainings for all workers on the Resistance Base."

A small murmur of surprise broke out among the medical staff seated in the room, and Kyra had to admit she was taken aback. She wasn't exactly aware of how serious the situation had become, and didn't think she'd ever be enlightened, as she was just a doctor. Details were only released to fighters and pilots and commanders within the resistance. Weapons training was required once a month for all staff members, just basic information about how to shoot a blaster and target practice. Before all this, Kyra had never held a blaster in her hand, but she had to admit weapons training was fun after her first few sessions, and she looked forward to them.

"You'll report to your supervising officer once you've completed a session, and if you fail to do so weekly, you'll receive a warning," General Organa continued once the chatter died down. "As always, we work together for the greater good, and not completing your requirement could put your comrades lives in jeopardy."

Krya listened intently, but was distracted when she saw Poe Dameron enter the back of the room out of the corner of her eye. His bright orange suit was hard to ignore, but she had to wonder why he was here, in a meeting with all of the medical staff. She pushed the thought aside and focused back on Leia, who was answering questions and wrapping up the meeting.

"Any other questions?" she said, and was answered with silence. Surveying the room briefly, she continued on. "Then you all may return to work."

The medical staff jumped back into action, and Kyra waited a minute to move until she saw General Organa walking towards her. She looked behind her to make sure the woman was looking at her, but found no one.

"Dr. Juun," The General said to her, and Kyra's head snapped forward.

"General Organa," she regarded.

"Please stay behind a few moments. I need to speak with you."

Philomela, who still sat beside Kyra raised her eyebrows as General Organa moved back towards the front of the room. "What's that all about?" she asked.

"I have no idea, but it doesn't sound good," Kyra said, swallowing, racking her brain for anything that could have caught The General's attention.

"Well," Philomela said. "I'm going to go home and sleep. Let me know how that goes," she gestured towards the woman at the front of the room.

"Thanks," Kyra said sarcastically, standing up as the room cleared out.

She approached The General with caution, still confused and surprised. She tucked her lose hair behind her ears that had fallen out of her braid. Maybe she was going to be yelled at because her hair always got messy after a long day at work, and it was unsanitary. She squared herself in front of the former Princess, greeting her with a timid smile. The woman was a few inches shorter than her, but it was Kyra who felt small in her presence. "General Organa, have I done something wrong?" she asked, and the woman shook her head.

"On the contrary," General Organa answered. "I've called you here because I have a new responsibility for you."

"A new responsibility?"

"If you paid attention during my meeting, tensions are rising," she began. "I anticipate sending out more soldiers on missions, and we need trained medical staff to accompany them in case of any emergencies. You're the only doctor who doesn't have a family you'd leave behind here on the base, correct?"

Kyra nodded. "Yes."

"Right," she continued. "I was told by your supervising officer you perform very well in the medical bay, but also do well in weapons training. You've really proven yourself as a hardworking member of this base. I have faith that you could be a valuable asset to any squadron if they are sent out on a mission."

Kyra's mind was moving a thousand miles per hour, "Uh, what exactly does this entail?"

"I'd like you to attend weapons training three times a week. I've spoken with your supervising officer, who will be sure your work schedule gives you extra time for this commitment," she explained. "I've also assigned you as the official medic of Black Squadron. You will accompany them on missions as need be," she looked over her shoulder and nodded.

Kyra followed her eyes to find Poe walking towards the two of them. "This is Poe Dameron, Commander of the Black Squadron. Commander Dameron, this is Dr. Juun."

"We've met," Kyra explained, but shook Poe's outstretched hand.

"Great," General Organa said. "I anticipate you both will work well together. I see a lot of the same traits in you both."

Poe gave Kyra a reassuring smile, and she wondered if the fear was written on her face, when she thought she was doing her best to contain it. She couldn't really say that she was scared, but she was definitely having a hard time taking in this new responsibility.

General Organa didn't say much else, and excused herself to go to another meeting. Kyra watched her disappear through the doorway, as though she hadn't just dropped an a-bomb on her life. She was so casual. Maybe this wasn't that big of a deal.

"Are you alright?" Poe's voice broke her from her trance, and she turned to look him in the eye.

"I'm fine," She lied. "This is just a lot to process," Kyra confessed.

"She has a way of delivering things that makes them seem like they're a bigger deal than they are," Poe said. "I mean, this is a big deal, but you should be excited."

"I haven't left D'Qar in the year I've been here," Kyra said, slightly embarrassed. "And I didn't think she even knew who I was. I'm just surprised, that's all."

"You don't have anything to worry about," Poe reassured her. "We found out this morning, we're all very excited to get to work with you."

Kyra thanked him with her best smile, though it was fake. She was excited, it was great to be acknowledged for her hard work. However, she wasn't expecting to be thrown into this situation. Her weapons training sessions weren't even that great, or so she thought. Kyra didn't consider herself a fighter. She wasn't against it, but she wasn't sure if she could perform that well on an actual mission. Essentially she was worried. But on the other hand, she scolded herself for being so transparent about it with Poe. This was the adventure she was looking for. Maybe she was capable of more than she thought.

* * *

 **I wanted to put out two chapters right away so you all had more than just one chapter. As I said, this is my first Star Wars fic, so if you notice errors, please be kind. I'm researching as best as I can. Let me know what you think, please review!**


	3. Flying

In the weeks that came, Kyra's life remained disappointingly uneventful. Although after General Organa had assigned her to work with the Black Squadron she had spent some time worrying, but the more she slept on it the more excited she became. This was what she had wanted, right? Excitement?

Only that wasn't exactly what she got. Under direct orders from her supervisor, Colonel Vendar, she was supposed to keep her new assignment to herself for the time being, for a number of reasons. General Organa didn't want to alarm any other Resistance workers, especially when there weren't any immediate threats. Also, the decision to promote Kyra could have caused controversy among the other doctors who were looking for better positions than simply working in the medical bay. According to Colonel Vendar, Kyra was hand-selected because she had good weapons experience, but Kyra wasn't sure that was entirely true.

She'd been taking less shifts at the medical bay for her required amount of weapons training, so she'd seen her friends less and less each week. Also, the increased weapons training wasn't as thrilling as she thought it would be. She still was kept at the basic level, working with blasters and other common weapons. She had no idea how to handle anything more complex.

But she did all things these without complaining, because she honestly had no better to do. Kyra still took walks in the morning and still burned through reading material faster than ever, so things hadn't really changed. Usually, she was tired, but now she felt more energetic.

She hadn't seen Philomela in over a week, and the woman didn't know about Kyra's new assignment. Kyra had wanted to tell her, and knew she would keep it to herself, but she never found a good time to do so, especially because they saw each other less and less.

So early in the week, when Kyra clocked into her shift, she was surprised to find Philomela packing up for the day. The sight was unexpected, and she accepted the nurse's warm embrace.

"Where have you been?" asked Philomela. "I have seen you in forever."

"It's only been a week," Kyra smirked. "But I know, it feels like ages."

"You've been taking less shifts," the woman observed, "Is there something wrong? Are you sick?"

"No, no," Kyra corrected her. "Everything is fine. Everything is actually great."

"Then what's going on?" she asked, concern still visible in her eyes.

"Nothing bad," Kyra said. "I'm not supposed to tell you. I want to, but I can't….well, at least I can't tell you here."

"Please stop," Philomela urged. "You can't say these types of things and then not tell me," her eyes narrowed. "This has to do with your meeting with The General doesn't it?"

Kyra knew Philomela would keep it to herself. That wouldn't be a problem. She was her closest friend on the base, and was trustworthy and sweet, however, Krya was hesitant to blow her cover when things were still confidential. People would find out eventually, it was being announced in a week to all the Resistance members, so she decided to give in, especially because Philomela would eventually wear her down.

"No on is allowed to know this," Kyra sighed, looking over her shoulder to be sure no one was around. "So don't tell anyone. General Organa increased my required weapons training and assigned me to work as the official medic for Black Squadron."

"What?" Philomela gasped. "I knew you were lying when you told me she yelled at you for not keeping your hair back," Philomela nudged her. "What does that even mean?"

"Nothing really, now," Kyra answered. "Just less shifts in the hospital and more weapons training. They might send me out on missions...but I don't anticipate that happening anytime soon."

Philomela took in the information. "Why you?"

Kyra shook her head. "It's probably because I'm one of the only doctors without a family. If I die it's not like I'm leaving anyone behind."

There were families on the base, plenty of married couples, but not so many with kids, unless they were older. Most of the doctors were settled down besides her, and she was relatively young. That was the only way she'd validated it, although General Organa had contributed it her scores during weapons training. Weapons training wasn't something she was terrible at, but she also wasn't fantastic, if anything she was average. She wasn't dumb. She knew her life was a bit more disposable than others. It sounded depressing, but she understood the rationality behind it. Plus, if this is what she needed to get excitement, she guessed it wasn't going to be as safe as working in the hospital.

"Don't be so morbid, Kyra," Philomela scolded her. "You'd leave me behind."

Kyra felt herself flush. "I didn't mean it like that. I don't have a partner or children or anything."

Philomela nodded. "When you put it that way...it makes sense. But I don't think you'll be put in as much danger as you might think. At least I hope you wouldn't."

"We'll see," Kyra nodded.

"So are you reporting to Commander Dameron, then?" Philomela asked.

"Not directly, no. I'm still technically underneath Colonel Vendar, like you," Kyra said. "Obviously if I'm on a mission I'd report to Dameron."

"Wow," Philomela mused out loud. "Are you happy about it?"

Kyra nodded. "Yes, of course I am. I needed some excitement."

Philomela smiled softly. "I'm excited for you. You'll have to tell me more about it later. I have to get back to work."

Kyra had to work as well, although her shift was shorter than usual. She had her first official meeting today with Black Squadron, to get to know them all. Vendor had made it sound like an orientation of sorts, officially get to know them all and basic training. Despite her initial worries, she was anxious to see what exactly this new position would entail.

Her shift went quickly with very few incidents. At this point in career, she had learned to take things in stride, but was thankful when things didn't go horribly wrong. She had a moment to stop by her small flat and brush her teeth, splash some cold water on her face before meeting them in the hangar. She pulled on her Resistance-issued khakis and gray shirt she wore while off-duty, and headed towards her future.

Poe Dameron, clad in his bright orange jumpsuit met Kyra at the entrance to the hangar with a warm smile. Greeting him shyly, she was relieved when we was the first to speak.

"Kyra," he spoke. "We were expecting you."

His dark, curly, hair was tousled and hung over his forehead. With a movement of his hand, he pushed it back from his eyes, and gestured widely to a small group of people. A series of beeps and whistles sounded near her feet, and Kyra looked for the source of the noise, and saw a small, orange BB-8 unit next to her.

"Oh yeah, Kyra" Poe chuckled. "This is BB-8. An unofficial member of Black Squadron."

The droid chirped in agreement and Kyra smiled. She didn't know much Binary, she'd only picked it up after she'd moved away from her father, but she could interpret enough to get the gist.

"Nice to meet you," she smiled slightly at the droid. Lifting her head back up to meet Poe's eyes, he led her towards the group of people she knew as Black Squadron. There were five members, and Kyra tried her best to remember their names, though introductions were brief.

"Have you ever flown in an X-Wing before?" asked Jessika, the shorter, dark-haired women she had just met.

Kyra shook her head. She had little experience flying in general, only doing it to travel. In fact, the first time she'd left Dantooine was when she'd left her father, that had been the first time she'd ever been on a ship. But she figured she'd keep that to herself.

"Don't worry," Poe said reassuringly, stepping up beside her. "You'll fly with me, it won't be that bad."

Karé, a blonde woman with short hair narrowed her eyes, looked suspiciously at Poe. "You sure that's a good idea, Dameron?" she looked at Kyra. "He likes to show off. You better take it easy on her," she warned.

"Relax, she'll be fine," Poe widened his eyes. Kare shot him one more look as she stepped away to board her ship. Tilting his head once she was out of earshot, Poe faced Kyra. "You aren't afraid of flying, are you?"

"Not currently," She answered. "Should I be?" she couldn't help but cock an eyebrow.

"No," he smirked. "I'm the best pilot in The Resistance. You're in good hands."

Poe handed her a pair of pilot fatigues. "General Organa told me you'll be getting your own specialized suit for missions, but for now you can use these. They go on over your clothes."

Kyra nodded, unfolding them and stepping in. Poe instructed her on how to assemble the harnesses, pointing out the gear included, thermal boots and gloves, breathable in warm weather but insulating in cold, as well as a Comlink and some data cylinders. Previously, Kyra had no idea pilots carried this much gear in their suit alone, but she supposed it made sense.

"I'm guessing your own suit will include medical materials, since that's what you'll be doing, but most flight suits are pretty standard. If you come along with us on missions, always bring your own pair of clothes, these aren't exactly discreet," he chuckled.

"I'll say," Kyra looked at the color hue covering her body once again.

"I don't say to everyone, but orange is really your color," the corner of Poe's mouth tugged up a bit.

Kyra felt herself flush slightly, not sure why she was embarrassed. Maybe it was the way his eyes glittered as he looked intently at her. "Oh, stop," she said, dismissing the compliment with a wave of her hand. It wasn't a surprise to her that he was a flirt, she'd heard plenty about him from other members of the Resistance, but Kyra didn't feel as though she'd be someone he'd waste his efforts on. He must be like this with everyone.

"Come on, I'll show you my ship," Poe cocked his head toward the large midnight-colored X-wing in the hangar. "This is Black One."

BB-8 rolled along at their feet as they approached the ship. It seemed slightly bigger than the other X-Wings, but it's color was what really made it stand out. It was all black, hence it's name. Kyra felt her heart race when she saw the size of the cockpit. It was small compared to the ship, and she didn't usually do well in small spaces.

"Here," he said. "I'll help you get situated." Poe followed her up the ladder to the cockpit, helping her settle into the passengers seat, which was considerably smaller than the pilots seat, and located behind it. Kyra felt like a small child as he assisted her in strapping in, and then handed her a helmet.

"The engine is loud, so you can talk to me through this," he said, flipping a switch on the small console in front of them. "And if you need to talk to the others, flip this switch and they'll hear you. But you probably won't need to."

Kyra nodded, running her finger over the red button. "And just in case," he continued, handing her a small paper bag.

"What's this?" she asked, looking at him where he knelt over the side of the cockpit, his shoulder touching hers.

"If you feel sick..." he trailed off. Kyra felt her heart race again. She hadn't thought of that, but it suddenly made sense. She'd never flown in anything like an X-wing before, and she had no idea the kind of stunts he was going to try and pull. Poe must have noticed the concern etched onto her features, because he reached out and squeezed her shoulder. "You're going to be fine," he said, reassuringly. "Just remember to breathe, look outside if you have to. We'll start off with simple maneuvers, and work up to the more complicated ones. You'll build up a resistance. You're in good hands, I'll take it easy."

"Great," Kyra answered sarcastically.

"You'll be okay," Poe stood, leaving her side as he stepped into the cockpit. The hood of the cockpit settled down around them, hissing as it sealed into place.

"Black Leader, do you copy?" She recognized Temmin's voice in her ear, and heard Poe's response.

"Copy."

The engine of the ship roared to life, and Kyra looked down to find her right hand clutching the paper bag Poe had given her in a death grip. "You all right?" she heard Poe's voice in her ear.

Kyra swallowed. "I'm great," she answered, lying through her teeth. Thankfully, he couldn't see her face.

"Here we go," She expected the fighter to lurch forward, however, it did so smoothly, and she relaxed a little. Maybe this wouldn't be as bad as she expected.

Boy, was she wrong. Even though the maneuvers we're basic and simple, something about the confined quarters, coupled with the abrupt movements of the ship, and the rising temperature of their two bodies was enough. She felt heat rise up her neck and onto her ears, feeling her skin break out in a sweat. Through clenched teeth, Kyra took deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. Poe's voice as he spoke to the others was barely audibly in her ear, she didn't even know what he was talking about.

"How are you doing back there?" Poe asked, breaking her out of her trance.

"Fine," Kyra lied again.

"Look outside," Poe instructed. "I promise, it'll help."

Kyra obeyed, desperate for any source of comfort. The jungle covering D'Qar was a thick green mat beneath them, broken up by the snake-like rivers and lakes. For a brief moment, she let herself relax, forgetting where she was and admiring the landscape below as they swooped over it's surface. She'd spent so much time tracking around on the surface, but it was much more beautiful from up in the air.

She was jolted out of her short-lived peace when the ship dropped abruptly in the sky.

"Sorry about that," Poe said. "I forget how touchy she is sometimes."

Kyra lost track of how long they practiced maneuvers, it could have been hours, so when they pulled back into the hangar she was more relieved than she thought possible. After a few moments of Poe clicking buttons and adjusting settings, the hood finally unsealed itself from around the cockpit and she gasped at the fresh air. Her head spun, and she still felt sick, so even as Poe got out she stayed put, trying to orient herself again.

"Are you alright?" he knelt down beside her on the platform, leaning over Krya.

Kyra nodded, but continued staring forward, afraid to open her mouth lest something come out. "You did great," he said, his voice encouraging. "I promise."

"Thanks," she managed, finally unbuckling herself and struggling to her feet. Poe reached out to help but she waved him away. "I can do this myself," she added a weak smile so she didn't sound rude, but truthfully she felt quite pathetic. "You can laugh, it's okay."

Kyra stepped outside of the cockpit, now standing on the platform across from Poe. It was small, so their chests almost touched.

"Why would I laugh?"

"This is embarrassing," Kyra said firmly, turning to look towards the entrance of the hangar, avoiding his eyes.

Poe let out a small chuckle. "I promise, Kyra, you did just fine. I've seen much worse."

"Are you just saying that to make me feel better?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm being honest. I wouldn't lie."

She narrowed her eyes at him for a moment. "Well, thanks."

"Come on," he said, dropping out of eye level to climb down the ladder. "Get some water."

Kyra, frustrated, took a deep breath before following him down. She was very content working at the hospital, because she could navigate it well, but she found that she hated learning new things. This was definitely one of them. There was too much vulnerability, helplessness, and in front of Poe Dameron of all people. He was just being nice, she had done horribly. With time, she hoped she could get better, and maybe even prove herself.

* * *

 **Hey lovelies! Thank you for all the kind words on the first two chapters. I am really loving writing this fic, though it does require a lot of research. I'm using the Poe Dameron comic series for reference but I probably won't adhere to that storyline super strictly, so I can take my own liberties.**

 **Guest: Thank you so much! I am excited to write her story and develop her as a character. thesameoldfearsx, CLTex, Caleb's Babe: thanks so much for the initial feedback! It's much appreciated.**

 **What are you all thinking? Let me know how I'm doing!**


	4. Lights

"See, I told you you'd get the hang of it," Poe's encouraging voice broke through the wall of happy thoughts Kyra had built in her mind, his chipper tone an indicator that he had no idea how uncomfortable she really was. Breathing deeply through her nose, Kyra nodded, climbing out of the X-Wing. She bypassed the last few rungs of the ladder, following him, hopping down, thankful for the sturdiness of the pavement beneath her feet.

"That wasn't so bad," she lied, giving him a smirk as he raised his hand to meet his.

"I'm going to go grab the others," As soon as Poe turned his back she squatted over, her hands on her knees as she felt the blood flood to her face. A reassuring chirp beside her startled her.

"You're not allowed to tell him," she narrowed her eyes at BB-8. Her Binary was already improving just in the few weeks she'd spent training with Black Squadron, so it was becoming easier and easier to make out the remarks the little droid made from time to time. "I'm still getting used to it."

After the lightheadedness passed, Kyra straightened up, just in time to see the rest of Black Squadron approaching. Their flight practice for the day was over, so usually they'd debrief with Poe before adjourning. Kyra had to work an afternoon shift at the hospital, which she was somewhat dreading. Even though she was technically only sitting in the cockpit of Poe's plane while he did all the work, she was always exhausted afterwards. She supposed she had enough time between now and her shift for a coffee, since she had to return to her quarters and change anyhow.

As usual, Poe wrapped up the training pretty quickly and reminded them when to meet the next day. Training with Black Squadron had become less and less of an anxiety the more practice she got, and she had to admit she was relieved. Flying was still something that chewed at her nerves, but she'd made a lot of progress since the first time. As long as she remembered to breath, she could usually fight the nausea.

Weapons training was it's own monster, but in a different way. That she did separately from Black Squadron, which she preferred. There was something about Poe Dameron that made her feel like a silly, incapable fool. He was so confident, so talented, and it made Kyra feel awfully inferior. Kyra certainly had her own strengths, but in this department, she had a lot to learn. During weapons training, there was just an instinct, a knack. It was simple physics, and she was able to trust herself.

As she started to leave the hangar to head back to her quarters and change, she heard someone call her name. Turning around, she saw Jessica Pava coming towards her in a half-jog. Her long dark hair bounced behind her, falling loose from it's tight bun.

"Kyra," she spoke her name again, coming to a halt in front of the doctor.

"What's going on?" Kyra asked, leaning forward slightly."I don't know what you're doing tonight, but the rest of us are going into town and meeting at Golu's for drinks since we don't come in until later tomorrow," She began. "You should come with us."

Kyra mulled over the idea in her mind, not quite sure how to respond the the invite. Golu's was one of the few bars in the small town that was about at twenty minute walk from the Resistance Base, made up of one street with a handful of businesses, mostly owned by retired Alliance soldiers or Resistance members who didn't live on the base. It was a bar frequented often after long days or small victories, but Kyra had only been there a few times at Philomela's prodding. The times she had gone it was loud and packed, and Kyra had never cared much for crowds.

"I have to work an afternoon shift in the hospital today," she said, pouting her lower lip slightly.

"We aren't leaving until later," Jessika continued. "You really should come, we'd all like to get to know you better."

Kyra wasn't sure why she felt like she didn't belong, especially when she was being explicitly invited. Carefully, she offered Jessika a soft smile. "I'll see."

"Please do," Jessika tapped her shoulder. "It'll be fun."

Kyra nodded, slowly backing away, before completely turning to head back to her quarters, mulling over the idea. Maybe she'd see Philomela and ask her what she thought, although she knew Philomela would only encourage her to go. After freshening up in the small bathroom in her flat, she took a few minutes to sip a coffee and change before leaving to head to her shift in the medical bay which was only a five minute walk from where she lived.

Philomela was the first to greet her in the lounge, frustratedly stripping out of her uniform, along with a few other nurses. Shift changes were usually hectic in the lounge, so Kyra was surprised when the doctor she was there to relieve was sound asleep in one of the cots, despite the noise. She gently shook him awake, letting him know he could leave, before focusing on Philomela, who was mumbling under her breath.

"One of the new medics didn't properly dispose of a biohazard," she huffed, her voice tense. "Now I have to wash this before I can go back to work."

"Good afternoon to you," Krya chuckled, using the mirror to braid her hair.

"I'm sorry," Philomela sighed, shrugging in her undershirt. "This is just a minor inconvenience, considering the fact that today is busier than usual, and I'm wanted in a thousand different places."

"There are extra uniforms in that utility closet," Kyra gestured with a tilt of her head. "Just wash it and return it."

Philomela's eyes flooded with relief. "Thank you," she said, scurrying towards the closet, her soiled uniform still caught around her ankles. Kyra chuckled to herself as she watched the spectacle.

"How are you?" Philomela asked, looking for uniforms. "Still getting airsick?"

"It's getting better," Kyra murmured, and it wasn't too far from the truth. "Still a bit unsettling."

"Huh," Philomela responded. "How's Commander Dameron?"

Kyra smirked, realizing how strange it sounded to hear his official title, since they were on a first name basis. But she supposed that was who he was to others. "Friendly," Kyra said, naming off the first adjective that came to mind.

"You know, he isn't bad looking. What do you think?" Philomela prodded.

Kyra couldn't help but feel a twinge of annoyance and frustration at her friend's remark, but she tried her best not to let it manifest, knowing that it was her own issue, and no one else's. The mere mention or insinuation of romance always made Kyra's gut twist with nausea, similar to how she felt flying in an x-wing. Poe, of course, was well-known within The Resistance, and was certainly the interest of many of it's members, he was charming and handsome, something Kyra had witnessed firsthand. There had always been rumors of his various affairs but Kyra paid them very little attention, uninterested in gossip and other people's personal lives.

"I don't think anything," Kyra answered, securing her hair in a tie, hoping it would stay in place.

Philomela didn't answer, and she wasn't sure if it was because she was doubting Kyra's answer or focused on changing into the clean uniform. Either way, Kyra took the lull in conversation as an opportunity to change the subject. "One of the women in Black Squadron wants me to meet them out for drinks tonight at Golu's."

"Are you going?" Asked Philomela. "Who asked you?"

Shrugging, Kyra expressed her apprehension. "Jessika Pava...and I'm not sure...probably not."

"Go," Philomela's voice was firm, this was a command.

"I don't know, I just-"

"Kyra," Philomela began, her voice stern, and Kyra felt like she was receiving a lecture from her father, back when she'd been a rambunctious and troublemaking child. "If the next time a medic in training exposes me to an infectious disease and I die tragically on the job, who will you have to talk to?"

Although the drama in her voice was evident, and humorous, Kyra gasped, feigning surprise. "Don't talk like that, Philomela."

"I'm serious, you need to go. You can't stay in and read books your whole life," Even though she and Kyra had a lot in common, Philomela was definitely the more outgoing one of the pair, and had a considerably more active social and love life.

"Really? Because that's what I was planning on doing," Kyra quipped back sarcastically, even though it wasn't far from the truth.

"Oh," Philomela rolled her eyes. "Get to work, I know you're going to be late for you shift if you keep this up."

Laughing, Kyra said goodbye to her friend before getting to work.

* * *

Later that evening, Kyra found herself walking into town with Temmin and Jessika. They'd invited her to walk with them, which she was thankful for. Although she was used to walking alone, she definitely was glad she wouldn't be arriving at Golu's alone.

When they arrived, the small, dimly-lit tavern was just the right amount of crowded, but no so much so that they were being pushed and shoved around. A few other Black Squadron pilots had already found a booth and waved them over excitedly. Kyra started off with just a water. She wasn't interested in getting wasted, but she knew that they sometimes served food, and something other than cafeteria meals sounded enticing.

Most members of The Resistance were paid very minimally, considering that housing, meals, and healthcare were included if they lived on the base, so Kyra only had a small sum of money that she had taken with her when she joined. She thought it might be fair to treat herself.

For the few twenty minutes Kyra made small talk and answered questions about herself, her position in the medical bay and what brought her to The Resistance. She listened to everyone else's stories and found herself relaxing, becoming more comfortable around the people she had only previously known briefly and specifically on a professional basis. It was nice to do something besides working, it turned out Philomela was right.

Just as Temmin was in the middle of telling a story to her, the others all erupted into a chorus of excitement, and Poe Dameron squeezed into the booth next to Kyra, clad in a brown leather jackets and dark grey trousers. "Sorry I'm late," he murmured, his shoulder pressed up against her. "I had a meeting that went over."

Conversation continued back to normal as Temmin finished his story, and everyone broke off into their own little cliques to chat. Poe pointed at Kyra's empty glass. "What are you drinking?"

"Just water," she answered, and Poe frowned.

"Really?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I have to work tomorrow morning," Kyra defended, even though she could tell he was teasing.

"Will you come to the bar with me to get a drink?"

Kyra nodded, and followed him out of the cramped booth.

"I'm glad you came out with us," Poe said as she fell into step beside him. "I hope everyone has been friendly."

"Of course," Kyra answered, tucking a stray hair from her braid behind her ear. The bar was a bit crowded, so she anticipated a wait to get their drinks. Poe didn't seem to mind, and rested his arm against a nearby empty table, turning to her. Seeing him in anything other than his flight suit was a little strange. He looked so...casual.

"I didn't know you were coming," Kyra mentioned, observing the crowd around them, feeling the warmth radiating off of the laid-back crowd.

"I had a meeting with General Organa," Poe responded. "She's entrusted me with a project very close to her."

"I anticipate we'll find out more about it soon?" Kyra asked, and watched Poe's lips curve into a welcoming smile.

"You would be correct," he answered, and let the smile linger. "Are you feeling more comfortable during training?" He asked.

Kyra nodded. "It gets better every day," she agreed.

"My mother taught me to fly when I was three," Poe began. "It takes some time to get used to, but I'm glad you're catching on."

"Do you keep in touch with your mother?" Kyra inquired, smiling at the image of a young Poe Dameron, probably with the same dark curly hair and big brown eyes.

Poe shook his head. "She died when I was eight. She and my father both fought in the Alliance."

Kyra felt a wave of heat rush to her face, and although he did a good job at hiding it, still caught the brief flash of pain in his eyes, and felt his sadness as her own. "I'm sorry to hear that," she said gently. "I lost my mother, too."

Poe's features softened. "It's alright. My father lives on Yavin 4, my home planet. I still visit him sometimes, and my grandmother is still alive as well."

Kyra nodded. "That's nice to hear."

"And your family?" He asked, tilting his head.

Kyra felt her heart race, growing nervous. She didn't know how to answer the question without sounding suspicious or like a spoiled child. But the whole story wasn't one she was comfortable telling, she was barely comfortable keeping it to herself. So she settled on a nonchalant response. "I haven't spoken with him in awhile," she began. "We didn't have the best relationship."

Thankfully, Poe took the hint, and didn't ask anymore questions. The bar was becoming less crowded and it was their turn to order.

"If I buy you a whiskey, will you drink it?" He chuckled. "You can't just have water."

"If you're buying it, I suppose I can't say no, right?" Kyra said dryly. "I've never been one to turn down a free drink."

"That's the spirit," He winked at her before stepping up to the bar.

Shortly after, they returned to the booth and Poe squeezed back in beside her.

"Could you pull up a chair, Dameron? I can barely move!" Temmin shouted over Kyra's head at the other pilot. The rest of the table laughed, and Poe sighed with a defeated look in his eyes before obeying.

The night ended without any mishaps, and not extraordinarily late, which she was thankful for, since Kyra had work, weapons training, and training with Black Squadron the next day. She got home safely and made herself a cup of tea, curling up underneath the covers with a book, but found herself drifting off before she could even start reading.

* * *

 **Hello all & Happy Holidays. I apologize I haven't been updating as frequently as expected over this break, however, my laptop crashed so I am typing this on an iPad with a Bluetooth Keyboard my father let me borrow. Also, the holidays were busier than I expected.**

 **My heart is extremely broken upon hearing the news of Carrie Fisher, and Debbie Reynolds passing. Such talented women. One of the reason's I love Star Wars so much is because I grew up watching it, and I always loved the tenacity, strength, and stubbornness of our beloved Princess Leia. I felt as though she was my first role model, she taught my that as a woman, I was capable of anything. Carrie Fisher herself used her platform to speak up about sexism and mental health, and although I am upset, I know her legacy will live on. Hopefully you all are doing okay upon hearing this news.**

 **And to my lovely reviewers, CLTex - Yes, I think it would be quite the experience to fly in an x-wing with Poe Dameron! Guest - Thank you for the review! My whole inspiration for the "X-Wings being different than normal planes" comes from some of my friends experiences who were in the Air Force! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. And Princess Starberry - I loved hearing from you. Your theory about Poe having a wife and kids is very plausible! I've never thought of that before, but I feel like he'd make a wonderful father and husband.**

 **Anyways, thank you for all your feedback, please let me know how I am doing!**


	5. Glimpse

**Hey all! Sorry for the fake update. I forgot to respond to my reviewers!**

 **PrincessStarberry - I'm glad you think my writing is improving. I'm really trying to improve it by adding more detail to make things seem real! I'm definitely aiming for a slow-burn type relationship, they're the best. And yes, imagining Poe with his grandparents is adorable. Guest - I wish they could be a couple already too! But I have lots planned for them in the future, don't you worry! Guest - hopefully you enjoyed a touch of her history in this chapter!**

* * *

A cool breeze wafted off of the water and through Kyra's loose hair, gently wisping it away from her face. In the summer, it seemed the water always called to her, and she'd stand it's edge while the waves lapped over her bare feet, watching the fishing boats head out as she paced along the shoreline. Her real focus, however, was the horizon. The sky always looked so much larger out here, touching every part of the earth, and stretching beyond. Sometimes she'd see ships disappearing into the azure abyss of the sky, and she wondered what'd it be like to leave, to look down at the girl who stood on the edge of the lake. Another girl who felt the same way she did.

It wasn't fair, in her fifteen years, that her father had never let her see any other part of Dantooine, let alone another part of the galaxy. Her father, the village chief, was too afraid to leave, lest something happen while he was gone. It had always been that way. It was hard for her to understand when she was younger, although now it made more sense. But she knew the villagers well. She was to inherit his position one day, and she knew they'd still be capable with him gone.

 _"Everything you'll ever need is right here,"_ he father always chided. _"And one day we'll look to you."_

Retreating several steps to where the sand was dry, not damp, Kyra sat crosslegged, closing her eyes, focusing on the sound of the waves crawling timidly, back and forth, along the shoreline. She tried not to think of her father, she tried to ignore the urge inside her to _just go_. She knew better. She just needed to find peace. As usual, her heart and head fought with one another until finally she shut them both out and let herself rest.

She remained this way for awhile, losing track of time, until suddenly, without warning, she felt something seize her. It hit her with dizzying intensity, not from outside, but from within. It was a mixture of enlightenment and clarity, like she'd opened the door to a room she wasn't supposed to be in, but found something she'd lost. Overwhelmed, Kyra's eyes shot open in an attempt to ground herself. Next to her, a large stone dropped to the ground, and she frowned, turning to see where it fell from. Her sister was probably playing tricks on her. When she turned, however, it was clear no one had disturbed her.

Kyra leaned forward, gasping for air, gazing once more at the horizon. She felt like she was being pulled there now, stronger than before.

"Kyra!" she heard her father call from the house. "Breakfast!"

* * *

Kyra sat up in bed suddenly, her alarm waking her out of a deep sleep. Every now and then, she'd wake from reoccurring dreams that would replay moments of her childhood. Sometimes it was the scene by the lake, sometimes she was talking to her grandmother. Sometimes it was the last words she'd said to her father. Sometimes it was her first day on Coruscant. She only regarded them as memories, some of them fond, or milestones in her life. But she didn't know what they meant.

The moment she'd be dreaming of just minutes ago puzzled her the most. She'd forgotten most details of her childhood, but she'd never forgotten how she'd felt that day, meditating on the beach of the lake she'd grown up next to. To this day, she still couldn't explain what had happened.

She turned off the vibrating wristband that had woken her and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. This morning she had to work, then she'd train with Black Squadron. Truthfully, she was excited. From the way Poe had spoken the night before, it sounded like General Organa would be sending them on a mission soon. This alone motivated her out of bed and into her bathroom to freshen up and get ready for the day.

Her shift at the hospital wasn't incredibly hectic, a lot of stitches and follow-up appointments with old patients, no tragedies. Kyra appreciated the slow day, but it only gave her more time to focus on what was going to happen later in the day. Philomela wasn't working, either, so she couldn't even tell her about Golu's the night before. She would have been proud of Kyra for actually following through and sharing drinks with the squadron.

Poe saved his announcements for their debrief after training. Kyra was so excited to learn about the mission, she didn't even get too airsick. Maybe she'd remember to be more distracted in the future, because it seemed to help. When they finished practicing a few flight maneuvers, she climbed down the ladder from the x-wing to the concrete floor of the hangar below, stretching. Poe seemed more pensive than usual, his charismatic personality not as pronounced as she was used to, but she supposed there was a lot on his mind after his meeting with General Organa the night before.

From across the hangar, she heard Kare let out a sharp, pained cry. Immediately snapping to attention, Kyra saw her sitting on the hard floor, lifting her right leg in the air, wincing with pain next to her x-wing. Kyra started towards her, and the rest of Black Squadron followed her lead.

"What happened?" Kyra asked, approaching the woman and kneeling next to her.

Kare flinched, frowning. "As I was climbing down, I missed a rung on the ladder and landed wrong on my foot. I heard my ankle snap, I think I broke it."

"May I have a look?" Kyra asked, and Kare nodded. She assisted the woman in slowly tugging her boot off and rolling up the pant leg of the orange flight suit. Kyra examined her ankle, not noticing any apparent swelling or bruising. Kyra felt it gently, careful not to hurt the woman, and frowned. "It doesn't appear to be broken, though you may have sprained it. I can't tell for sure unless you get an x-ray," she stated.

Kare sucked a breath in through your teeth. "I heard it snap."

"You may have rolled it wrong," Kyra answered. "Can you try flexing it for me?"

Although she could tell that it hurt the Kare, nothing appeared to be broken. She watched her flex her foot back and forth once, sighing in relief. "It feels a bit better after doing that," Kare breathed.

"That's what I thought." Kyra bit her lower lip. "Let's try putting some weight on it." Standing up, she offered her hand to Kare, who took it graciously and slowly rose to her feet. Gingerly, she placed her foot flat against the ground, and hissed a bit.

"It still hurts, but it's bearable," she answered. Kyra pondered for a moment.

"You'll need to go to the medical bay and get an x-ray. They'll probably prescribe you some painkillers, and you'll have to ice it and keep it elevated," Kyra instructed. "I can take you, it won't take long, we're having a slow day."

Kyra hated to jinx the entire staff that worked this evening, but it was true...for now. In her history working at the med bay, as soon as anyone observed a 'slow day,' chaos would ensue almost immediately, it was a bad omen. But she hoped it would put Kare's mind at ease.

Kare looked between Kyra and Poe, whose dark brow was furrowed, his hands on his hips as he watched the exchange. "I suppose I can wait...until after Dameron debriefs us."

"I wouldn't want to keep you from getting the help you need," Poe responded, running his hand over his jaw absentmindedly.

"I can manage," Kare straightened up slightly. "Just let me sit."

Kyra helped her settle onto one of the rungs of the ladder, and the rest of Black Squadron formed a circle around them. Kyra turned to Poe, who nodded at her once, before beginning.

"Before I go into specifics, I want you all to know this is confidential. I know you are all smart enough to stay quiet, but you can never be too safe," Poe made eye contact with each member of the group before continuing. "After meeting with General Organa last night, she has entrusted us with the very specific task of finding a man named Lor San Tekka, a noted member of the Church of The Force. He holds information vital to the future of the Resistance, however, his whereabouts are currently unknown."

 _Lor San Tekka_. The name sounded familiar to Kyra, though she couldn't remember where she'd heard it from. Maybe her grandmother Loya? She used to tell Kyra stories about the Rebel Alliance, and her father would scold her for it when he thought Kyra wasn't listening. It hadn't made much sense to Kyra why he seemed to deny so much of the past, but Kyra had gotten so used to it near the end.

"There are a few places he may be hiding, mostly the Outer Rim or unknown territories, but we won't know for sure where he is until we find him," Poe went on. "It's imperative we find him as soon as possible, and remain discreet, because we don't want to alert any of the First Order of our activities. We leave for our first location in two days. General Organa will debrief you again before the mission, but for now, take this time to rest. I suspect we won't be sleeping much until we find him."

Kyra had a million questions, but knew better than to ask them. It was confidential for a reason, and she'd find out more in two days. Her supervisor would most likely not allow Kyra the break the rest of Black Squadron would be on, and she suspected she'd still have to work in the medical bay, but it didn't stop her from being excited. This could be her chance to prove herself to the others, that she wasn't just some medic who got airsick easily and rode in the passenger's seat of Poe's ship. Maybe she could really impress the others and confirm her worth. But more importantly, maybe this was the day she'd figure out who she was, and stop feeling so lost.

With the weight of his announcement off his chest, Kyra could feel Poe's demeanor change. He perked up instantly, and as he dismissed them all, stayed behind with Kare and Kyra. Kare hobbled to her feet.

"Do you need help getting to the medical bay?" Poe asked the two women. Kyra shrugged.

"It's up to you." Poe took the answer as a yes, and went to Kare's opposite side for support. Kare seemed to do alright, and didn't rely on them for too much help. Once they arrived, Kyra delivered her to one of the nurses, who took her straight back for the x-ray, and sat down in the waiting room. Poe sat by her side. She smirked to herself, realizing this was where she'd first talked to him before she'd been assigned to work with him.

"Are you excited for your first mission?" Poe asked her.

Nodding, Kyra crossed her legs. "Of course, I'm very excited."

"I'm glad to hear it, I knew you would be," Poe smiled. "And I doubt we'll run into to much trouble."

"You don't have to stay here," Kyra said, glancing over at him. His shoulder was pressed against hers, and she thought it was a bit funny that with all the chairs in the vacant room he'd chosen to sit directly next to her.

"Neither do you," Poe answered.

"This is my job," Kyra responded, and let her head fall back against the wall, staring up at the harsh fluorescent lighting. Whenever she stayed under it for too long, she'd start to get tired. It was too institutional, very harsh and uncomfortable.

"Kare is one of my Squadron, I'm going to stay. You need to rest before our mission," Poe said sternly, even though she could see a twinkle in his eye.

Krya chuckled slightly, but remained in place. "I'm staying."

* * *

 **Hello all! I finally got a new laptop so I should be posting updates more frequently. (My father's iPad wasn't cutting it!)**

 **Next up, Black Squadron heads out on their first excursion to find Lor San Tekka! I will be loosely following the comic series about Poe Dameron before TFA, but I will be taking my own liberties with the plot and dialogue.**

 **What did you think of a little Kyra backstory at the beginning? What could it possibly mean for her future?**


	6. Mission

Poe Dameron always got nervous before missions. There wasn't a valid reason why, he never had any bad experiences, but there was always a small voice in the back of his head, a warning, that nagged him, made him tap his foot with restlessness and chew anxiously on his lower lip. Unfortunately, he never cared to share his apprehension with the others in his squadron, he was supposed to be their leader, and he didn't feel it was appropriate. He never shared his feelings with General Organa, either. He didn't have to, because she could always sense it. General Organa always knew how to soothe him, she had the experience and the wisdom that always managed to make him feel better.

"There's nothing for you to be concerned about," General Organa reassured him before their debriefing. "Stay alert, stay smart, but don't let your nerves cloud your judgment."

He had met with her before the others were to arrive. Over the past year, he and General Organa had grown very close. She had known his mother and father when they fought for the Rebel Alliance, and even after he joined The Resistance she'd taken him under her wing. At first it was almost embarrassing, the way the other pilots teased him for rising quickly through the ranks and being one of her right hand men, but the more he matured, the more he took pride in their relationship. His mother would have been proud if she saw him today.

Only he knew how deeply important this mission was to The General. The others in his squadron had no idea the depth of the issue, the significance of Lor San Tekka, but Poe was determined to find him. That was always part of why he got so nervous, he was afraid to let down the former Princess.

After the debrief was over he headed to the hangar to prepare Black One for the travel ahead of them. It would be a few hours, they were headed to the Ovanis, a mostly desolate planet in the Outer Rim Territories. The only known population there were the Créche, who Lor San Tekka had spent time living with in the past. Regardless of whether or not he was currently there, Poe would hopefully be able to get some clues as to where the man had gone from there. Poe suspected the mission wasn't going to be as simple as one trip.

Despite Poe's apprehension, BB-8 was buzzing and whirling at his feet. The little droid always loved whenever they went on missions, enjoying the travel but not fully understanding the potential dangers that lied ahead. However, his enthusiasm was a nice distraction for Poe as he readied his ship with the mechanic helping him. He'd been having issues with Black One's coolant feeds working incorrectly, so the engine was overheating pretty quickly.

"Were you able to fix the coolant feeds?" he asked the mechanic as she wiped her dirty hands off on the oil-stained rag, ducking down underneath the ship to return to his side.

She nodded. "These things had a recall a few years back, this is a pretty new ship, so I wonder if you just got some of the bad ones," the woman shrugged. "They'll need replaced soon, but for now, just make sure the engine doesn't overheat. I'll pack you some extra coolant just in case there are any issues. But until then, you should be good to go."

Poe smiled, thanking the woman for her help before she went about her day. He saw the rest of Black Squadron approaching him after their separate debrief with Leia. He specifically looked at Kyra, who walked a few steps behind the others, talking to Karé. Karé's leg had healed pretty quickly, she had just rolled her ankle, so she was perfectly fit to be involved in the mission. The pilots all nodded to their commander before taking their places next to their ships.

Kyra walked towards him. As usually, her hair was tied back in a braid, which had yet to become messy and wispy as it always did. Poe liked Kyra, she never gave him any issues or problems, and she generally was a positive presence among the squadron, but she was very reserved and guarded. Part of him felt bad for her at first, she seemed very lost and bewildered when she'd been assigned to Black Squadron. The young doctor had become more and more confident over the weeks, Poe just wished she'd open up to him and the others. She seemed too hard on herself, but afraid to admit any weaknesses or vulnerability.

He knew he could be intimidating, he was a commander after all, but he didn't like to make others uncomfortable. Poe found the best way to lead was to inspire and encourage, not to scare or threaten them. He supposed his position of power could be what kept her so modest. He thought he'd challenge himself to get to know her better, maybe let her know he was a friend, not just a supervisor, even though she didn't report directly to him.

"Good morning," Poe grinned at her as she approached and she offered him a shy smile, the dimple in her right cheek appearing for a moment. She looked a bit tired, as per usual, but he knew she worked much more frequently and at more inconvenient hours than he was used to, unless he was on a mission.

"Morning," she greeted him, lifting a first aid kit she held in her right hand. "Apparently you've made arrangements for this?"

Poe nodded. "I'll store it up front with me, I have a special compartment. Hopefully we won't have to get it out at all."

Kyra agreed. "Although then there's not much of a reason I'm tagging along then, is there?"

He noticed the rare teasing tone in her voice and let out a chuckle as BB-8 greeted her with a series of beeps and whistles.

"Of course I'm excited," She answered the droid's question as she pulled on her specialized flight suit over her khakis and white t-shirt. As Poe went to pack the first aid kit he turned to find Kyra nibbling her lower lip and scratching the back of her head, focused on Black One in front of her, but somehow looking past.

"Are you nervous?" Poe asked her, and Kyra's eyes snapped to meet his.

"I'm okay," she gave him a reassuring nod.

Without hesitation, Poe reached out and put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently. "It's okay to be a little apprehensive. It's your first mission. I still get nervous and this is hardly my first."

Kyra nodded, her eyes flickering towards the ground bashfully. She didn't respond, just gave him a soft smile before he pulled away and went to board the ship. He really hoped she'd come to trust him, but he supposed it was just going to take time. More time than he was used to.

* * *

Once the squadron had made the jump to hyperspace, Kyra felt a bit more relaxed. The travel time wasn't anything she was concerned about, if anything, it gave her a chance to rest, something she rarely got to do, especially with her promotion and her restless nights. Poe was busy flying, and she didn't want to distract him by talking too much, so she found herself asleep for most of the ride, thankful for the opportunity to relax.

Poe was very sweet, she thought. Before the mission he'd been very reassuring and comforting, as had General Organa. Many other Resistance members would probably love to work as closely to him as she got to, but that didn't really matter to her much. She was just glad they got along well and he didn't make fun of her for being on edge sometimes.

Kyra was awakened from her long nap by Poe's voice in her ear. She couldn't hear him well with the roar of the ship entering the planet's atmosphere, but she could make out him telling her to prepare for landing through the headset in her helmet. When they finally dipped below a blanket of gray clouds, Kyra was surprised to see the rocky, mountainous landscape below. It was dreary out, but not raining, and Kyra wrinkled her nose. When she thought of adventure, she surely didn't think of it being in a place like this.

Sighing, Kyra watched the ground come closer and closer as they lowered towards the rocky substrate, listening absentmindedly to the other pilots speaking with Poe over the intercom. She rarely talked when she was in the x-wing, she never wanted to interrupt or distract the others.

Black One touched down at the base of a mountain, the shade providing sanctuary and protection from anything flying overhead. The small squadron would be hard to spot from above. Descending and landing had gone surprisingly smoothly, and when Kyra followed Poe out of the x-wing, her only real discomfort was her tight muscles that had been in the same position for multiple hours. She graciously stretched for awhile as BB-8 was lowered from his spot in the ship, and the others gathered their things.

Poe approached her. "What do you think of Ovanis?" he asked.

Kyra shrugged. "It's...cloudy," She stated.

Poe chuckled. "You're not lying."

Clearing her throat, Kyra went against her better judgement and offered another tidbit, something she was slightly ashamed of. "You know, this is only the third planet I've ever been to..." she murmured, trailing off and taking in her surroundings.

"Really?" Poe asked. "Why not?" Traveling wasn't especially expensive or difficult to do, depending on where in the galaxy one planned on going.

"My father didn't like to travel," Kyra confessed. "I barely got to see any of Dantooine outside of my hometown."

Poe put his hands on his hips and glanced up at the sky. "What's Dantooine like? I've never been."

"Temperate. Usually warm..." Kyra locked eyes with him and shook her head. "Nothing very exciting."

"Well, I'm sure you'll see plenty of excitement in the weeks to come," Poe smirked.

"That's too bad, maybe I will start to appreciate the monotony," Kyra let out a soft laugh and Poe smiled back just as the others arrived.

The rest of the squadron stretched as they changed out of their pilot uniforms and into more comfortable clothing, water-repellant jackets and thick-soled boots to hike over the rough terrain. Kyra looked in, taking in her surroundings, but there wasn't much to see. Tilting her head, she searched for the top of the mountain they stood at the bottom of, but she couldn't, as the gray, misty clouds obscured it from her vision.

"The Créche aren't the most sociable," Poe warned them. "So we'll have to be careful. There one of the only known populations that inhabit Ovanis. Lor San Tekka was rumored to have spent time here with them. He could still be here, or they could point us in the right direction," he said. "From what General Organa has told me, their rituals and traditions are deep-rooted and carry great cultural significance. So it's important to be respectful regardless of what we see."

BB-8 whistled with excitement, and Poe held out his hand in a gesture to calm him down. "It's about a thirty minute hike to their settlement, and we'll have to go into the caverns, so make sure your flashlights are charged. I don't anticipate we'll run into anything dangerous, but it's important to stay alert."

Poe led the way, with the others trailing behind in a single file line. BB-8 excitedly rolled along beside Poe, who was focused on his data pad that directed them towards their destination. After about fifteen minutes of walking, they ducked into some sort of cave system, and the temperature grew cooler. Kyra shivered as she zipped up her jacket and drew her flashlight. The sounds of their steps echoed of the caves walls, and there were man-made railings and a bridge that crossed over a deep abyss. They couldn't be too far from their destination, Kyra assumed.

They seemed to come to a clearing, a hallowed out area in the cave where two humans stood. Their dress was different from anything Kyra had ever seen, their hair either braided or pulled into two tails, with large, blue circles painted between their eyebrows. The two guards aimed their weapons at the oncoming group, and Poe halted in his tracks.

"What's your business here?" The men spoke Basic, which surprised Kyra slightly. But then, she supposed this was just another culmination of citizens in the galaxy, and not some foreign species that she felt like it was.

"We are here to find Lor San Tekka," Poe spoke up, and Kyra admired his confidence and self-assured stance.

The men looked at one another, seemingly confused by his statement. "And who exactly is that?" They asked.

"He may go by a different name," Poe answered. "He has important information for us."

One of the guards sauntered forward, looking them up and down. "Is that so?" He paused in front of Poe. "And who the hell are you?"

"My name is Poe," Poe said carefully. "And my friends and I would like to speak with your leader, whoever that may be."

"If you come inside, you must surrender you weapons," The guard ordered.

Poe hesitated for awhile, but turned to the others and nodded. Kyra handed her blasters to the guard and followed them through the entrance. Inside was dim and dark, only lit by fires and torches, and some lanterns hanging around. There were several huts, and parts of destroyed ships that now served as homes and shelters. The Créche stared openly at the squadron, young children hiding in their mothers long tunics, adorned with the same blue circles that all the other residents had. Kyra's eyes lingered on them, before pulling away and focusing forward once more.

They were led to a tent, and Poe entered, leaving the others standing outside awkwardly. The guards stood next to them, and Kyra felt uncomfortable under their gaze. She was beginning to feel a deep sense of dread in the pit of her stomach, like something bad was going to happen, she just didn't know what.

The rest of the squadron waited outside for probably fifteen minutes, unable to go anywhere because of the guards. Kyra could make out Poe's low voice inside the tent, but not his exact words. After a few more minutes Poe emerged from the tent with an older man, dressed similar to the other Créche.

"One of our elders may know of this Lor San Tekka. We will take you to her," he spoke, nodding curtly at the squadron who had been waiting outside. Kyra started out, following him first in line, when she felt a gentle tug on the back of her arm. When she turned, she saw Poe's hand gripped around her arm, bringing her back towards him.

"Stay close," Poe murmured, and Kyra was taken aback by his sudden protectiveness. However, she obeyed him, relieved she wasn't the only one feeling apprehensive about the situation.

The Créche were not very welcoming, and as the man led them down a series of tunnels and caves, Kyra made a mental note of where they were going, memorizing the labyrinth of the settlement in the chance they may have to escape. The deeper they traveled, the more unsettled Kyra got.

Finally, they entered another clearing, and Kyra felt her jaw drop at the sight before her. In front of her was a large, blue egg-like structure, suspending in the air with a series of strings and platforms. It was large, bigger than anything she'd ever seen, and it looked to her like a ticking time bomb ready to explode. What was it? She was snapped out of her reverie when an older woman approached them, one of the elders, she suspected. The woman held the same icy glare in her eyes that the leader did, and Kyra assumed that this was just their nature.

The woman introduced herself, but Kyra was distracted by a slight tremor she felt underfoot. Her eyebrows knit together in confusion, and she looked at the others for confirmation, but they didn't seem to notice what she had felt. That was strange, she thought.

"Everything okay?" Jess asked her, and Kyra shook her head.

"Yes, I just thought I..." Kyra trailed off. "It's nothing." She figured it wasn't worth sharing. There were many Créche around them, wandering about, some of them on their knees in front of the large, blue egg, almost as iff they were worshipping it.

"This egg is our charge, our purpose, our salvation," the elder lifted her arm out, gesturing towards the structure. "We protect and nurture it, and in return we bathe in its radiance. Its presence guides our lives. It holds salvation itself—the savior unborn. Someday the egg will hatch, and we, or our descendants, shall receive our reward for keeping it safe these many generations."

* * *

Poe agreed, pausing a moment to nod respectfully at the woman before continuing, despite the fact he thought it was a bit ridiculous. He had no clue what it held inside of it, but he didn't like the look of any of this. Poe wondered if Lor San Tekka agreed with any of this, or if he was received as coldly as Black Squadron was. "I am looking for a man named Lor San Tekka. He is rumored to have spent some time here."

The woman nodded. "It's been awhile since I've heard that name. He once lived among us, practicing our rituals and traditions, but that was a long time ago. One morning, he left without a trace. We have no idea where he could have gone, or if he even made it off Ovanis."

"So he didn't tell you where he was going? Did he leave anything behind?" Poe questioned, and suddenly the ground shook much more audibly beneath them. Poe reached his hand out to steady himself.

The elder looked up at the high ceiling of the cavern. "Earthquakes are common here, nothing to worry about," she paused before continuing. "No, I'm afraid we can only imagine where he has gone. He left behind the lighter clothing we use for the summer months, and took with him coats and blankets we use at night and in the winter."

Poe nodded, his face turning to a disappointed scowl. Of course, he couldn't have possibly expected this assignment to end so smoothly, but they were suddenly at a dead-end, he had nothing to take back to the General. This whole mission was now a waste of resources, and nothing seemed to point them in the right direction.

"You're all with The Resistance, aren't you?" The elder asked, and her eyes somehow got colder.

Poe didn't have time to answer, because another shockwave hit the ground, this one larger than the others, and many of the Créche fell to their feet.

"We need to leave," Poe turned to find his squadron all behind him, looking uneasy, as the giant blue egg began to creak and make noises, disturbed by the earthquake. A loud yell, and Poe saw Snap lying on the ground, clutching his arm, a Créche backing away from him with some sort of knife in his hand. Kyra rushed forward.

"Kyra, no!" Poe yelled, his voice cracking. But she ignored him and kept running forward. As important as Snap was, he couldn't risk losing two of his squadron instead of just one, he noticed the others looking to move forward towards their friend, but he held them in place. "Stay here," he commanded.

The elder reached out to him. "Yes, Poe Dameron, The Resistance's best pilot. Am I correct?"

Poe didn't answer, just stared back at the woman, his eyes flickering nervously between Kyra, who was currently running into certain death, and the elder. How did she know who he was? He hadn't revealed anything besides his first name, and his clothes certainly gave nothing away. Had they been spied on?

"What does Lor San Tekka have that you are looking for?" The elder asked, but he suspected she already knew the answer.

Kyra was knelt over Snap, and had somehow managed to tie an strip of fabric right above a deep cut on his forearm. The egg creaked again, and suddenly a large crack formed. The elder, and the other Créche suddenly turned all their attention towards the giant egg. "It's happening."

Snap was standing up, Kyra had one arm around him as he clutched his wound to his chest, in her opposite hand, Kyra had withdrawn her blaster, which she'd somehow gotten off the distracted guard. Poe saw the rest of his squadron at his side do the same.

"We found what we need, let's get out of here while we still can," Poe said sternly, taking a mental note of everyone around him. "They know we're with The Resistance."

"What's the fastest way out?" Karé asked, concerned. "It's a labyrinth in here."

"I remember," Kyra said, and Jessika reached out to comfort Snap, taking him from under Kyra's arm. He was still able to walk, but appeared to be in great pain. Unfortunately, there was nothing they could do for him in the moment. Kyra's tourniquet would help with blood loss until they were far enough away for her to give him stitches. "Follow me," she said.

The momentary distraction of the egg beginning to hatch was enough to distract The Créche from Black Squadron's hasty escape out of the cavern, but it didn't give them a complete pass. They had to hurry if they wanted to make it out safely. The elder rose to her feet, turning to one of the guards.

"They won't make it very far," she said to him. "Alert Captain Terex of the First Order. Tell him we found who he's looking for."

* * *

 **I even hate myself when I end chapters in cliffhangers.**

 **Up Next: Will Black Squadron make it safely off Ovanis? Or will they run into trouble as they are trying to leave? Where do you think Lor San Tekka is hiding?**

 **I am loosely following the Poe Dameron comic series for all the events leading up to finding Lor San Tekka/the beginning of TFA. I say "loosely" because I am planning on changing some events, and because I have not read the comic series word for word! What I know is from summaries and reviews of the series I have found online!**

 **PrincessStarberry: I'm glad you liked to see Kyra's backstory! I will be including it a lot more in the future, and Kyra will be sharing more with Poe soon enough. I am excited for them to get closer, even though we know Kyra is very shy!**

 **But as always, please drop me a line and let me know how I am doing!**


	7. Premonition

Somehow, Black Squadron managed to make it out of the cave system of Ovanis and onto the surface of the planet generally unharmed. But now they had to make the thirty minute hike back to where they had originally landed, and that was going to be tricky considering Snap's injury.

They moved at a brisk pace, trying to use the mountains and rock's on the planet's surface for cover just in case. Poe traveled close to Kyra, and every so often his hand would touch the small of her back in a protective way, guiding her the right direction. It kind of struck her as a little strange, she'd never noticed him acting this way towards the other member's of his squadron. In the back of her head, she wondered if it was because he thought she needed the guidance. Had she done something to make him think she wasn't capable of holding her own? The idea was upsetting, so she pushed it away.

By the time they made it back to where the ships where, Kyra was out of breath. No weapons or flight training could have prepared her for this kind of exercise, and she made a mental note to start going for morning runs instead of walks. That would hopefully get her into better physical shape.

They stumbled into the area where the ships were, and she guided Snap towards the rear of Black One, figuring it would give her a little bit of cover while she worked, and allow her to stay out of the way of the other pilots. Snap immediately sat down, still clutching his arm in pain. Grabbing her first aid kit, she knelt over him and began cleaning his wound. She wouldn't have time to give him proper stitches until she was back on The Resistance Base and out of immediate danger, so she used a Zip skin closure, since it was easier to apply and would stop the bleeding. Snap hissed as she cleaned out his cut.

"Are you okay to fly with this?" She asked Snap. "What's your pain on a scale of one to ten?"

"It's bad," Snap said through clenched teeth. "But I can manage."

"I can give you something, but it may not help much because anything stronger will make you drowsy," Kyra said, placing the device over his wound and pulling the bandage together. "I'll get you something stronger once we get back."

"Thanks for saving the day back there," Snap smirked at her and Kyra's eyes rose to meet his. She could tell she was grinning like an idiot, but for the first time since she started with Black Squadron, she felt useful. Kyra felt her face fall, however, when she noticed a small device on the back of Black One, right behind where Snap sat. Although she didn't know much about ships, or even x-wings, she felt like it looked out of place.

"You're good to go," she cleared her throat, tapping Snap's shoulder as he lifted himself off the ground. She passed him a few mild pain pills that would help with his discomfort and he took them graciously. Another shock of an earthquake rocked the ground beneath her feet. They needed to leave.

Poe was frantically working at Black One's engine, replacing the coolant in the feeds around the engine. "The engine overheated," Poe's thick eyebrows were knit together in concentration as he finally finished, closing the door that gave him access to the ship's engine.

"You're going to want to come take a look at this," Kyra said, and Poe followed her to the back of Black One. She pointed at the device on the back of his ship. "That doesn't look right to me."

"It isn't," Poe yanked the small circular device off of the ship, where it appeared to be attached by a magnet of some sort, examining it in his hand. "Dammit," he growled, dropping it on the ground. "This is a tracker, it belongs to the First Order."

BB-8, who had been beside Kyra the whole time whistled in surprise.

"Get in the ship," Kyra ordered, and though she could tell the droid was shocked by her command, obeyed.

Poe turned to alert the others, who were now clad again in their orange flight suits and took a few steps forward, away from the cover of Black One. "Check your ships for trackers!" He ordered. "I think we're being followed."

Kyra felt a wave of something pass over her, the hair on her arms and she reacted, gripping Poe by the shoulder and pulling him back towards her, under the cover of Black One, with a strength she didn't know she possessed, just as the mechanical sound of a blaster echoed behind them.

Poe cursed loudly, and Kyra stared at the sizzling black mark on the ground in front of them. He looked incredulously between her and where the blaster shot had come from. "H-How did you see that?"

Kyra didn't have time to answer before a shower of blaster fire rained over the group.

"We've got company," Poe growled, grabbing Kyra's waist and pulling her further back underneath the ship. Briefly aware of his large hand on her waist, his chin brushed up against the side of her head, Kyra felt herself grow flustered until he moved away from her. "Get in the ship, I'll cover you, okay?"

Nodding, Kyra clutched her blaster and bolted up the ladder and into the cockpit of the ship. But there wasn't a whole lot she could do to help, and she couldn't exactly get off the planet without a pilot. She could now see where the shots were coming from, as Storm Troopers closed in around their ships.

"Poe?" She called out, the worry in her voice evident. From up here she couldn't see him, and they were running out of time. The ground shook beneath them again.

"I'm right here," she heard his voice, relaxing slightly as she saw him rushed up the ladder and into the ship, shots barely missing him as he kept low to the ground. He closed the roof of the ship over them and she knew they were at least safe from the blaster fire. She just hoped the engine wasn't still overheated. "Captain Terex," Poe breathed, and she could barely hear him over all the commotion outside

"Black Leader, do you copy?" She heard the voices in her headset echo back and forth at one another as Black One's engine roared. Breathing a sigh of relief, Kyra felt herself loosen up at the sound of the engine.

They were off the ground, flying now, leaving the stormtroopers and Captain Terex in their wake.

"Hold on," Poe shouted back at her. "I know the First Order well, this isn't over."

* * *

They arrived back at The Resistance Base hours later, Snap headed straight to the medical bay and the others headed to debrief with General Organa. Kyra started off following Snap until Poe gently tugged her back by the sleeve of her coat, and she looked back at Snap and then at him a few times, feeling torn between two roles for a brief minute until Poe spoke.

"He's going to be okay, Kyra," Poe said, and her gave her a sad smile. "You need to come with me."

Nodding, Kyra followed after him and the others without arguing or fighting - she had never been one for that sort of thing, anyhow. They met Leia in the control room, where she appeared to be anxiously awaiting the details of what had happened. Poe explained everything carefully, and every now and then she'd stop him, asking him to elaborate on certain details. Kyra really couldn't tell what she was feeling, she held the same poker face she usually did, unwavering and stern.

Kyra wasn't really paying attention, she was too busy worrying about Snap...she wondered if Philomela was working, she couldn't stop thinking about the way Poe had kept touching her, guiding her as if she was incapable of doing it herself.

"I almost was shot," Poe explained. "Kyra got me out of the way, though," Poe looked over at Kyra, giving her a soft smile of appreciation. Kyra straightened up, a bit confused, but Poe's comment pulling her back into reality. "By the way, how did you even see that coming? Everything looked clear to me."

Kyra shook her head, she hadn't even thought of that until now. "I- I really don't know." There was no way to explain why she'd pulled him out of the way, she just sensed the immediate danger. "I'm not sure, just a premonition, I guess." She shrugged, making eye contact with General Organa, who was staring intently at her. For a brief instant, she recognized something in the woman's eyes, a familiarity, and Kyra felt like she knew Leia somehow. She'd never felt connected to the woman until that moment. Kyra looked away and bit her lower lip.

General Organa nodded, looking at the others before straightening herself. "Thank you for letting me know all this. Give me a night to sleep on this..." she paused. "I'll decide what we need to do tomorrow. Until then, you all deserve some much-needed down time."

With that, Black Squadron dispersed, and Kyra exited the control room. She'd left a few things back at Black One, so she headed to pick them up before retiring. BB-8 was still there, apparently waiting for Poe.

"Hello," she greeted the droid and he whistled back at her. Kyra smiled slightly. He was such a cute little thing. She was hoping to get her things and get out of there before Poe returned, but that hope was lost when BB-8 called his name. The droid rushed past her and Kyra turned around.

"Hi,' Poe greeted with an easygoing grin. Kyra offered him a half-smile, picking up the rest of her things and folding her flight suit over her arm so she could wash it. "You alright? He asked, watching her closely.

"Yeah," she answered. She began walking away before pausing and turning back towards him, contemplating what to say. "May I ask you a question?"

Poe nodded, and Kyra continued. "I couldn't help but notice...during the mission..." she trailed off, losing her confidence, feeling it wane before she mentally hollered at herself to finish her inquiry. "You seemed to touch me and guide me, during the mission and...I wanted to know why..."

Poe stared at her a moment, taking a deep breath.

"Do you not think I'm capable? Do you think I need to be coddled?" she asked. She didn't raise her voice, didn't accuse him of anything. Kyra had never been one who enjoyed confrontation, but she'd rather ask than bottle it up. Poe was looking flustered, even a little uncomfortable, which was something she'd never expected.

"No Kyra, no...that's not...that's not what I was..." Poe lifted a hand to press his thumb to his temple before dropping it and looking at her again. He took a deep breath. "Listen, do you want to get a drink?"

* * *

About twenty minutes later Kyra sat across from Poe in a booth at Golu's. She was surprised that the usually crowded bar was nearly vacant, and it was well after dark. Maybe it was because it was a weekday, and everyone had to be up early to do their jobs the next day. Work never really ceased, but the weekends still felt like weekends.

"Can I get something for you?" the waitress asking, pausing by their table.

Poe spoke first. "Two whiskeys," he said, and then hesitated, looking at Kyra for confirmation. Kyra nodded.

"That's fine," she answered his unspoken question.

It didn't take that long for the waitress to return with the drinks, and Kyra took a sip graciously. She usually wasn't one for whiskey, it was bitter and stung as she drank it, but she welcomed the burn of the alcohol for once. Poe took a long pull on his, and wrinkled her nose. He had been uncharacteristically fidgety all night, like he was nervous, which was strange to her.

"So are you going to answer my question from earlier?" Kyra piped up, wanting to get the inevitable over with. Poe placed his drink back on the wooden countertop, and took a deep breath, nodding.

"I'm sorry if you took that the wrong way," he said. "I just..." he trailed off. "I probably shouldn't be telling you this, but I don't want you to think I look down on you. That's not it at all...believe me." He stuttered. "General Organa told me before the mission to keep an eye on you."

Kyra knit her brows together once more. "What?"

"I know...she never told me why," Poe leaned in closer, and Kyra saw the way the honey-colored flecks in his dark eyes reflected in the lowlight. That's just what she wanted me to do...so I'm sorry if it came off as strange."

Kyra stared at the table in confusion, falling back against the booth in bewilderment. Was he just lying? She doubted he had anything to gain from lying, and Poe seemed too trustworthy to do something like that. Grabbing the whiskey, she echoed Poe's long pull from earlier, swallowing the liquor as it bit at her throat. Too many things had happened today that had perplexed her, and she wasn't sure what to make of it. "That makes no sense..." she murmured. "General Organa never took notice of me until recently...I don't know what purpose I serve."

"You're one of the few doctors," Poe offered. "That means something."

Kyra chuckled. "I don't know..." she shook her head, finally looking up from the table to meet his eyes. Clearing her throat, she continued. "It's probably not going to do me much good to ruminate on this forever..." she shook her head, deciding to decipher this on her own time, not here. "How are you?"

"I'm doing alright," Poe nodded. "Today has been...interesting to say the least."

Kyra silently agreed. "Well, at least it's nearly over."

There was a lull in the conversation as Poe ordered another whiskey from the waitress, finishing off his first drink quickly. Kyra was already feeling the buzz of the liquor from her first drink, she doubted it would be a great idea to have another.

Poe let out a long sigh. "Well, we've kind of hit a dead end in this mission, right?" He said, rapping his fingers on the tabletop. "Until we receive another lead there's not much we can do to find him...and between you and I, this mission is of utmost importance to the survival of The Resistance. It's very important to The General."

Kyra didn't respond, just listened, and as she suspected, Poe continued. "I can't imagine where Lor San Tekka may be. He may not even be alive. Hell, when he left, it sounded like he had no clue where he was even headed to next."

Kyra thought back to what the elder had said about Lor San Tekka's disappearance, when he'd left, how he'd left, and realized Poe was right. Then she remembered a detail of the woman's explanation, and pursed her lips, coming to a meager conclusion. The waitress returned with Poe's second drink, and he took a sip after thanking her.

"Maybe he did know where he was going..." Kyra answered. "That elder...she said he took warmer clothing...maybe...somewhere cold. I'm no geography buff...so who knows where that may be."

Poe narrowed his eyes, looking pensive. His features relaxed, and he looked at her. "You're right, Kyra..." He paused. "During the Rebellion there was an Rebel Alliance base...on Hoth. That planet's barely inhabitable...but there's got to be something left behind." Poe straightened up. "That'd be the exact kind of place you'd want to hide. It's desolate...That's _it_. Gods, Kyra, I would have never thought of that."

Kyra felt the corner of her mouth tug up in a smile. "I wouldn't jump to conclusions," she warned, teasing him slightly. "But maybe you could run it by The General, see what she says."

Poe grinned at her. "Why wouldn't you run it by her?"

"Me?" she asked in disbelief, laughing.

"I'm serious..." he said.

"No I mean...you're her right hand man...she'll trust your intuition more than mine," Kyra defended her stance. The thought alone made her nervous. The General had always intimidated her.

"It wasn't always that way," Poe offered. "It took a long time before I finally gained her trust, I wasn't just given it right away."

"I don't know..." Kyra said, wrinkling her nose.

Poe stared at her awhile. "You're going to do it. Tomorrow morning,"

Kyra scoffed, opening her mouth. "No, Poe...I'm not-"

"I'm your Commander, this is a direct order," Poe said sternly, leaning in.

"I don't report directly to you!" Kyra shot back.

"I'll go with you, okay?" he urged. "Come on...if you won't do it yourself, do it for me."

"What is that supposed to mean?" she asked, unable to hide her smile of skepticism.

"Whatever you want it to!"

Kyra shook her head and closed her eyes briefly. "Fine..." she agreed. "But you're coming with me, _Commander_ ," she directed, pointing at him.

"I promise," Poe grinned, finishing the last of his second drink. She watched his lips meet the glass as the amber-colored liquid disappeared from the cup. Maybe it was because of the liquor, but she was starting to see through to the charming pilot that everyone admired and swooned over.

Kyra shook her head again, looking away, the exhaustion of the day finally hitting her like a ton of bricks. And they had a twenty minute walk back to the base. "Listen, I need to get going. I might pass out if I don't sleep soon."

"I agree" Poe murmured, and Kyra dug through her small satchel for credits. "No," Poe answered, placing the bills down on the table. "It's on me...it was your first mission."

Kyra couldn't argue, and they both slid out of the booth, waving goodbye to the waitress and Golu, who was working behind the bar. As they exited the bar, Poe held open the door, his hand briefly coming to the small of her back to guide her outside.

It had surely been an eventful 24 hours.

* * *

 **This chapter was brought to you by procrastinating on a 6-page paper. But I got the paper done and I'm in love with this chapter, so...please let me know what you're thinking!**

 **Love . Fiction .2016 -Thanks for the feedback! Hope to hear from you again!**

 **Also, I made a Tumblr and have been writing imagines, so go check those out/send me a request! My username is from-the-clouds.**


	8. Composure

Biting her lower lip, Kyra crossed and uncrossed her legs. She leaned forward in the chair she sat on outside of The General's office, and shook her foot so aggressively her whole leg was quaking. Her mind was running a thousand miles a minute, as she contemplated every way the conversation could possibly go. Successfully, she'd managed to script out her whole pitch the General Organa, but she was having trouble deciding what to say based on the woman's response, so she started with the worse case scenarios, thinking through her possible responses.

To Kyra's surprise, she was distracted by the tornado of thoughts running through her head by the man sitting next to her. "Hey," Poe reached out and grabbed her bouncing foot, halting it's movements. "Relax," he murmured. He sat beside her, calm and even-tempered as usual, and Kyra found herself admiring his confidence. Though, he had an upper hand, he interacted with The General on a daily basis...she trusted and depended on him. _Commander Dameron._

"You make it sound a lot simpler than it really is," Kyra shot back, raising an eyebrow, but kept her tone playful. She wasn't interested in letting Poe know how scared she really was. "Plus, she loves you."

"She does not _love_ me," Poe released Kyra's foot, elbowing her gently, and she resisted the urge to start tapping it again, deciding it was best to play it cool.

"That's debatable," Kyra shifted herself, so she was oriented towards him. Maybe if she sat close enough she could feed off some of his composed energy. She stared at him a moment, tousled dark curled that had been combed away from his face, which stared straight ahead in relaxed concentration.

Poe scoffed at her remark and tilted his head towards her, meeting her eyes. "Come on, Kyra. You've got this. I believe in you, and if you mess up, I'm going to be right there with you," he said, squeezing her shoulder tenderly. Kyra remembered the first time she'd flown in Black One, he'd given her the same reassuring touch. Poe's disposition was perfectly suited for his position, she thought. There were few people who could bring her the same sort of self-assurance he had. Her grandmother was the only other person she could think of. "I've got your back."

Kyra had to bite her tongue from sarcastically quipping back a playful remark, but instead she just gave him a small smile and nodded. "Thank you."

As if the end of their conversation was a cue, the door to The General's office opened up. Kyra had noticed she rarely spent time in the space, preferred to have debriefings or meetings in the control room. It wasn't uncommon to see her walking around the Resistance Base, patrolling and keeping an eye on things. She did a good job of creating a presence, and letting others know the importance of their cause.

Kyra swallowed hard and tried to channel as much peace as she could in the few moments between the time where a few officers moved out of her office and when she and Poe would be called in. In that instant, she cleared her mind as best as she could, closing her eyes and breathing deeply.

"Dr. Juun, Commander Dameron?" Kyra's eyes opened at the sound of The General's voice, but she realized suddenly her nerves were gone. It was as if something had consumed her, there was a change in the atmosphere, and when her eyes met Organa's, she suddenly wasn't worried anymore.

Exchanging a quick sideways glance with Poe, she rose from her seat and followed the woman into the office, Poe raising a hand to comfortingly tap her lower back as they passed through the threshold. Despite her surge of confidence, Kyra was still glad Poe was there.

General Organa did not take a seat behind the sleek wooden desk in the center of the room, rather, she walked towards the large windows that offered a view to the hangars below. There were very few rooms with windows in the Resistance Base. Many quarters were located underground, and Kyra's was no exception. She had to admit the scene below her was striking, satisfying almost. Kyra had never seen anything like it.

"Are the both of you recovering well from your mission yesterday?" The General asked, turning to face Poe and Kyra. Kyra wasn't sure whether to sit or remain standing, eyeing the chairs in front of the woman's large desk.

Kyra nodded, noticing that Poe did the same.

"Dr. Juun," the General Organa began, glancing at Kyra. "Commander Dameron has already spoken with me to arrange this meeting, and he said you might have an idea of where Lor San Tekka is."

Kyra inhaled, nodding. "Yes, I don't-" she paused, clearing her throat. "Well, I don't think it's _necessarily_ where he is for sure, it's just a thought, something one of The Creche said to me." She glanced over at Poe, who nodded, prompting her to continue.

"She said he only took jackets, coats...warm clothes when he left, and abandoned his other items," As she spoke, Kyra felt her confidence increase. "I thought it might mean he knew where he was going before he left...and that he was going somewhere cold. Poe told me there used to be a Rebel Alliance base on Hoth. I know he had strong ties to the Alliance...is there still a presence there...a place he'd be comfortable staying?"

General Organa pondered for a moment, her silence making Kyra uneasy again. "Hoth is a very desolate place..." General Organa stated. "But I do believe there's a village close to the abandoned base...where most of the residents are veterans of the Alliance..." Kyra felt her reach out inwardly, like she was trying to get ahold of something, someone, but couldn't. Then she was blocked out, and felt nothing. A dizziness overcame Kyra, and she paused, sitting down in the chair across from the abandoned desk. Poe looked over at her, his brow knit together in concern.

"That's a real possibility," The General agreed finally, and Kyra felt her energy return. She rose tentatively. "Of course, I'll have to figure out the logistics of the mission, but I think that's our next best lead."

Kyra smiled slightly, nodding.

The General turned to Poe. "I don't think we can afford to send out the entire squadron, just you. But I don't anticipate you'll run into any issues," The General turned back to Kyra. "Thank you Dr. Juun, your insight was very helpful. You may return to work now."

Kyra was a bit taken aback by the quick dismissal, and disappointed that she wouldn't be attending the mission, despite being the one to make it happen in the first place. But she nodded, trying her best to force appreciation and a smile through her features. "Not a problem, thank you," she managed before stepping out of the office, closing the door behind her.

Kyra considered waiting for Poe, who was still in the office, in a private meeting with General Organa, but she knew he'd probably be in there for hours. She knew she should be happy to have this recognition, to be acknowledged, but it still wasn't enough. _What did she even want?_ Shaking her head, she straightened up from the wall she'd been leaning against to think and began making her way down the hallway. For once, she had a day off, but she wasn't excited about it now, since she knew she'd just spend it overanalyzing the exchange that had occurred.

Tears threatened to spill from her eyes as she walked away and she scolded herself. It was childish. This wasn't personal, just how things worked in The Resistance. She paused for a moment, place her hand on the wall of the corridor she stood at, grounding herself. Footsteps behind her forced her to straighten up.

"Kyra," she heard Poe's voice. Turning around, she forced an easygoing smile as he jogged towards her. On his face was a wide grin, ignorant to her hurt feelings, but that made her relieved. She never wanted him to see her like this.

"Hey," she managed between clenched teeth and was surprised when Poe embraced her tightly. The touch startled Kyra at first, she couldn't even remember the last time someone had hugged her, but she relaxed after a moment, surprised how comforting it felt. Again, she felt tears prick the back of her eyes, embarrassed by her absurdity. She should be happy.

"You did amazing," he chuckled, his voice in her ear. before he pulled away. "That was awesome."

"Thank you," Kyra said lightly, meeting his eyes as he pulled away, his right hand still resting on her shoulder. She watched his features fall as he saw her face.

"Are you alright?" He asked, squeezing her shoulder lightly.

Kyra smiled. "I'm fine, just relieved."

Poe nodded, and she could tell he was dubious at her response, but he made the right choice by not pressing the issue any further. "You did great," he repeated. "See? There was no reason to be nervous."

"I still think I was allowed to be a little nervous," Kyra pushed aside her feelings to tease him.

Poe smirked slightly, then grew serious. "I'm really proud of you, Kyra."

Scoffing, she felt her cheeks redden, his hand that still rested on her shoulder radiated heat throughout her body and she realized how close his face was to hers, giving her a better view of the crows feet around his eyes and the stubble that covered his sharp jawline. "Well, thanks." She instinctively stepped away from him to clear her mind.

"So, are you ready for tomorrow then?" he asked, finally pulling his hand away and leaning against the wall next to them.

"Yeah, I'm ready," she murmured absentmindedly before thinking. "For training, you mean?"

"No," Poe smirked. "For the mission."

"What?" Kyra straightened up.

"My apologies, I guess General Organa never gave you the date when you were in her office." Poe rubbed his cheek with his right hand. "Yeah, we leave tomorrow morning."

"We? I thought Black Squadron wasn't coming," Kyra's eyebrows knit together in confusion. "I thought it was just you and BB-8."

"It's not Black Squadron, it's you and I," Poe explained. "Tomorrow."

Kyra laughed nervously, still a bit confused. General Organa had made it sound like it was just going to be Poe, and that she wasn't going to be included on the mission. That was why she had left in such a hurry, after all. Now she just felt even more foolish. "Yeah, I'm sorry, I was a little confused."

"So will you be ready then?" Poe inquired.

"Of course," Kyra nodded. "I will be ready."

Poe smiled, rapping his knuckles against the wall. "Great. Bring a coat. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

After quickly saying goodbye, he retreated down the hallway, leaving Kyra standing alone in the empty corridor. Biting her lip, Kyra smiled to herself. She had shifts to work tonight and tomorrow morning, but she knew her supervising officer would help her in switching them around to accommodate her. The General's orders held more clout than the medical bay's schedule.

So she _had_ made an impression, and this wasn't just Poe lying to her to be nice. These were her next steps. She just had to take it a day at a time.

* * *

 **Sorry for the infrequent updates, I am currently living out the semester from hell! But p** **lease let me know what you think, I still am very invested in this story, just don't have a ton of free time to write it!**


	9. Frigid

Although she could have taken the opportunity to sleep on the way to Hoth, Kyra stayed awake, chatting idly with Poe. Something was keeping her up, some vague inclination in the back of her mind that something was going to go wrong. She tried to dismiss it, but it was persistent, and she chalked up the paranoia to exhaustion. Rather than sleeping, she ended up taking extra shifts at the hospital, since a nasty flu was sweeping through member's of The Resistance. So many pilots, mechanics and workers were dehydrated with high fevers, sore throats, and body aches. She'd spent basically all night giving saline IV's and issuing medications to quell the fevers since they were short-staffed. Kyra only prayed she wouldn't catch anything, at least not until she got back from the mission; she hoped her lack of sleep didn't catch up to her.

She didn't know what exactly to expect from Hoth. All she knew was that it was supposed to be snowy and cold and desolate. They'd brought proper apparel for the terrain, so she wasn't too worried. They would be landing near an abandoned Rebel Base, where a few former Alliance fighters had settled after the Galactic Empire fell. Surprisingly enough, Kyra did not know a whole lot about the war that had ended years before she was born. It'd always been a curiosity of hers, but she hadn't read her way to that area of the Resistance's library.

A noise she'd never heard Poe's x-wing make startled her and she immediately straightened up, the feeling of dread intensifying until her head pounded. Placing her thumb and forefinger to her temples, she leaned forward and furrowed her brow, muttering to herself to calm down before speaking up.

"Everything okay?" she asked Poe, who she could hear shifting around in the cockpit behind her, frantically pressing buttons and flipping switches.

For a moment he was silent, preoccupied, which only intensified the throbbing in her head as her stomach twisted. "The engine," he murmured. "It's overheating...but we're almost there. We should be okay," he said, and for the first time, Kyra didn't hear the same confidence in his voice she was used to. Instead, his voice wavered slightly with trepidation.

The headache faded to a faint annoyance, and Kyra tried to occupy her mind by running over General Organa's instructions at the debrief. There were specific people they needed to talk to, and she ran over their names in her head. Unfortunately, Kyra was distracted once more by a whirring noise coming from the ships engine she had never heard before. Poe clicked buttons, trying to control the situation, but to no avail. Kyra didn't want to pry him, assuming he knew what he was doing. Her trying to help would most likely serve only to annoy.

She heard Poe curse under his breath, which concerned her because he usually remained so calm. "I'm going to take us out of light speed and try to land. Hang on," He shouted over the increasing sound of the engine whirring. The familiar lightheadedness and pull she felt coming out of lightspeed seemed to only worsen her headache, the pressure she felt on her chest restricting and overwhelming her.

Then they were flying above Hoth, she could see it's terrain, jagged peaks of mountain poking up through gray storm-clouds, snippets of it's smooth, white surface peaking through the spaces between. From up here, despite their current situation, it looked peaceful. Kyra couldn't help Poe, who was still desperately trying to safely bring them to the ground.

"I'm sorry, Kyra," he yelled over the roaring of the engine, and then she felt her stomach drop as they plummeted to the ground.

* * *

There wasn't much of the crash that Kyra remembered. The ground came closer and closer to them until she could begin to make out details; small patches of pine trees, tall drifts of snow. The terrain was like an ocean of fresh, fallen dust. At first, Kyra thought of her father and sister, whom she hadn't spoken to since she joined The Resistance. She had refused to. She thought of her grandmother, and how much she missed her. Despite the years since she had died, the pain had never really subsided, and Kyra longed to know all her secrets she never got to tell.

Surely, Kyra thought as the ground grew closer, this was it. Instead of screaming, she felt peace, calm. An energy passed through her, time slowed down, she could hear Poe's racing heart and the steady beat of her own, she closed her eyes, but still could see the ground closing in.

And then the impact came, and the peace disappeared.

For some reason, Kyra didn't know whether she had blacked out or whether she'd been conscious all along, but her first action was to get out of the cockpit. She flexed her fingers and toes, then slowly worked her way up her arms and legs, assessing each body part before trying to move. The pressure in her head had subsided, and she noticed she was still strapped in to the cockpit. The roof was peeled back, and the wind kicked up tornadoes of snow that clouded her vision. Poe wasn't there. She felt her heart clench in panic.

"Poe?" she said his name softly, before shouting. "POE!"

Black One had landed in a snow bank, which must have cushioned their fall. Half the ship was submerged in the fluffy cover, only the cockpit rose above the ground. Kyra exited the ship, unbuckling her helmet and chucking it to the ground unceremoniously. She was growing more panicked as Poe was nowhere to be found, when suddenly, an orange flight suit directly below caught her eye.

Lying on his back against the nose of the ship was Poe. No visible injuries marked him, but he wasn't moving, and Kyra made her way through the deep snow to him.

"Kyra," he murmured as she approached, his eyes lighting up. He straightened up slightly.

"Are you alright?" Kyra asked, and Poe nodded. "Are you injured?"

"I don't...think so," he mumbled. "I just needed a moment to catch my breath."

Kyra nodded, examining him with her eyes. "Let me check you out, okay?"

Poe frowned, but reluctantly agreed. Kyra leaned forward, pushed his hair out of his eyes to examine his forehead for bumps or cuts. She ran her fingers through his thick, dark curls to feel his skull for any bumps and bruises, her hands then finding his neck to be sure he hadn't broken it. Determined, she refused to look him in the eye while this close to him, as it felt wrong in some way to be so close. His eyes focused in on her. "Where are we?" she asked.

"Hoth," he answered, watching her intently.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" she asked, making a "W" with her digits.

"Three," He answered. Kyra pulled a flashlight from her medical kit and shined it in his eyes, watching his pupils dilate quickly.

"Well, you aren't concussed," she said, but moved on, carefully helping him move his arms, legs, examining them for damage. Kyra felt his eyes on her, so intent, and her face grew warm under his gaze. It made her even more embarrassed, since she'd managed to assess damage to many individuals without feeling so flustered. But Poe was perfectly fine, and as Kyra finished up, seemed to snap out of the uncharacteristic trance he'd been in. _Shock_ , she guessed, but she didn't say anything, because he answered.

"I think I got the wind knocked out of me," he said, and Kyra smirked. "I'm so sorry Kyra, _Gods_ , that was scary. How about you? Are you okay?"

"So far so good," she said. "We both might be a little sore tomorrow, but I'm sure we can handle it."

"I'm so sorry, Kyra I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine, Poe. We're okay."

"If I had BB-8 with me maybe he could have payed more attention to the engine, I didn't realize until it was too late."

Although Kyra had somehow managed to avoid it, or ignore it, in her rush to find Poe, it suddenly hit her like a ton of bricks. Her body convulsed and her teeth began chattering together. "It's so...so cold." She managed, instinctively pulling her arms around herself in an effort to warm up.

"Coats," Poe agreed suddenly, seemingly agreeing to the sentiment. He climbed back into the x-wing and pulled out the coats, offering her one that she slipped into graciously.

"I need to check the engine," Poe said. "Stay in the cockpit and try to warm up."

"You don't need any help?" she asked.

"I'll only be a moment," he answered, and Kyra nodded, taking his advice and curling up in the cockpit. She reached for her datapad only to find it shattered on the floor of the x-wing. She frowned. All her information was on there, even information pertaining to the mission.

When Poe returned his face was grim. "Just as I suspected."

"What's that?" Kyra frowned as she sensed his frustration.

"The engine's shot. It go too overheated. We need more coolant and coolant feeds if we're going to get her up and running again."

Kyra sat back and watched him as he rifled through the cockpit to find his datapad. When he finally found it and powered it up, he struggled to find a signal for a moment before he could finally get the information he needed. Kyra watched as the sky began to darken, the sun was lowering in the sky and she saw dark clouds rolling in behind them. Kyra shivered, and she wasn't sure if it was a result of the cold or because she still couldn't seem to shake the feeling that something was off.

"We haven't landed too far away from the old base. It'll take us about three hours to get there on foot, which isn't ideal, but it could be worse," Poe interrupted her thoughts. He shook his head and bit his lower lip. "Unfortunately, we don't have a lot of options."

"I'll be okay to walk," Kyra said. "I suspect moving around will be better than sitting here freezing to death."

Poe nodded, and offered her his hand, which she took to help lift herself from the ship. She gathered the few belongings she'd brought with her and placed them in her backpack along with her medical kit and slung it over her shoulder. Poe and Kyra both changed into more casual clothes, as the orange flight suits certainly didn't allow them to be inconspicuous. It only took a few moments for them to gather her things before they were off.

Moving didn't do much to help the cold. It was horribly cold, a bone-deep cold that didn't disappear that nipped at her fingers, toes, and face - any piece of exposed skin was subjected to it's searing touch. Kyra didn't even bother trying to talk to Poe. Opening her mouth only made her colder. As much as she tried to ignore it, she couldn't. The wind certainly didn't help.

The three hour walk to get into town felt like five, and by the time they arrived, night had fallen. A few shops were still open, but none of them could get them the supplies they needed. The settlement was larger than Kyra had expected, but based on the stares and side-eyed glances they got from the residents who were scurrying home in the dark, the town didn't often get visitors.

Poe leaned into her, and murmured in her ear. "I suggest we try to find a place to stay for the night," he suggested. "We can get some food and a good nights sleep. I doubt we'll have much luck trying to ask around this late at night - plus, it looks like there's a storm coming."

He was right. The wind had picked up, howling, spiraling loose snow from the ground.

They found a small inn towards the outskirts of town. Before they entered the lobby, Poe turned to her. "Remember, we aren't with the Resistance. We're just traveling through, okay?"

Kyra nodded, following him inside. She expected a blast of warm air but was disappointed when she felt none in the lobby. Although there was a fireplace in the small lobby, it didn't do much to quell the cold. Kyra shivered.

"Hello," Poe greeted the man behind the counter, who eyed them suspiciously as they approached. "I was wondering if I could get a room for the night?" he asked.

The man frowned, but nodded. "We've only got one room left for the night. You on vacation?"

Poe gave an easy laugh, "I'm afraid not. My wife and I were traveling and our ship broke down a few miles out of town," Poe's hand reached up to settle on Kyra's lower back, and she instinctively leaned into him, playing along, offering the hotel owner a soft smile. Despite the act, the warmth of Poe's body offered a bit of refuge from the cold. "We thought it'd be best to find a place for the night."

The man's features relaxed at Poe's explanation, and he smirked before turning around to grab a datapad and a key. "You're in luck, we've only got one room left for the night. That'll be 100 units," he said, and Poe handed over the money. "The price is cheaper than usual, because our heater's broken. Every room has a fireplace and firewood, so that should help a lot. Your room is on the second floor to the left."

Poe nodded. "Thank you." He took the key, his hand still resting lightly on Kyra's waist, and lead them out of the lobby.

"Your wife?" she teased as they headed upstairs, out of sight of the owner.

Poe smirked slightly "Anything else would have been too suspicious."

"Mhm," Kyra raised her eyebrows slightly.

"Oh stop," he dropped his arm from her waist and swatted playfully at her, rolling his eyes before they finally arrived at the room. Kyra was growing anxious for a nice warm bed and meal, but all her expectations were shattered when she only saw one large bed in the middle of the room, no couches or chairs or anything that could work as a substitute. Her brows knit together in frustration, but she wasn't sure whether or not to voice her concern.

"So much for escaping the cold," Poe huffed, passing her to go to the windows. Kyra heard the wind pick up outside and watched Poe lock them and close the blinds. Kyra chattered her teeth in agreement.

"Let's start a fire," she suggested. Her arms and legs were lagging, the exhaustion from a lack of sleep hitting her. Still, she crossed the room and began stacking some firewood in the fireplace. The few half-burnt pieces that still lay within it she gathered under the fire to use as kindling, and a box of matches with the motel name on it sat on the mantle. She lit the match and placed it under the wood, blowing on it carefully, and within minutes the wood was burning.

"Thank Gods," Kyra sighed in relief, removing the gloves from her hands and placing her aching fingers close to the flames. Poe crouched beside her, mimicking her actions.

"I hope this helps," he murmured, and Kyra watched the flames cast shadows across his profile.

The fire helped, but not enough, especially as the storm picked up outside. Kyra moved away to sit on the bed and give it time to warm the room. However, she couldn't help but let out a frustrated sigh, which caused Poe to turn to her.

"You alright?" he asked, his brows pulling together.

She nodded, closing her eyes and leaning her head back against the headboard, closing her eyes. "It's still freezing."

Poe stood from his place in front of the fire and walked towards her, sitting next to Kyra. He hesitated a moment before carefully reaching out, placing his arm around her shoulders and pulling her close to him. Whereas normally, she might feel uncomfortable, or maybe even flustered, instead she knew he was just trying to keep them both warm. And as much as she hated to admit it, it was working.

Kyra couldn't remember the last time she'd been so close to someone, or even had someone touch her affectionately. Although she knew Poe wasn't been affectionate, it was certainly welcome and friendly, and she appreciated it. Carefully, she rested her head on his shoulder, and his grip tightened.

"I want to apologize again about what happened earlier..." Poe said, staring into the flames. "With the ship."

"What do you mean?" Kyra asked.

"The way we crashed...it was a miracle both of us survived," he mumbled. "I really thought that was the end." Kyra glanced at him, seeing the pensive frustration across his face. He thought it was his fault.

"Oh, Poe..." Kyra murmured, using her free hand to reach around his waist and pull him into a hug. "You did nothing wrong. It was out of your control."

"I thought we were going to die," he said, shaking his head. "I was thinking about my dad...I got in an argument with him the other day and now I'm regretting it. That could have been the last time we talked to each other."

"It's not...we're okay," she soothed him, pausing and biting her lip, unsure of whether to continue. "I haven't talked to my father in years, though. I know how you feel."

"Years...why not?" he asked.

"You know, I never told you why I joined the Resistance." Kyra said, shaking her head. "At least...I never really told you."

Poe turned his head to her, his eyes dark, brooding. But he was intent, listening. Once again, his gaze made Kyra blush so she turned away and continued. "My father was the chief of the village I grew up in. He made the community work, he made the big decisions," she began. "He wanted me to take his place once he grew old." Kyra shook her head. "I always felt this pull to do great things, to be a part of something great. Something inside me would call to me, it felt so strong. But when he saw I wasn't dedicated to the job...he forced me into something that almost ruined my life."

Kyra paused for a moment, gathering her thoughts. She didn't want to tell Poe about the marriage. Not yet. It made her feel dirty and wrong, all those years being married to someone she'd never cared about. Now wasn't the time...maybe never.

"My grandmother got sick, and I came home for her funeral. On Dantooine I met a recruitment officer for The Resistance and long story short, he asked me to join. I thought maybe this was my calling. After my grandma died I told him I'd be leaving. He tried to stop me but realized there was no use. And I haven't spoken to him since..."

Poe looked away from her. "And do you think this is your calling?"

"Are you asking me this as my commanding officer?" She cocked an eyebrow, unsure of how to answer his question.

Poe smirked slightly. "No, Kyra. I'm asking this as your friend."

Kyra smiled, feeling a bit of the tension in the air break. "I'm in a better place than I was before..." she trailed off. "But there's still an emptiness...I can't explain it." Quickly, she changed the subject. "Who knows. Some people go their whole lives without finding their purpose. Maybe I'm one of those people."

Poe squeezed her shoulder. "I'm sure you'll figure it out."

Kyra shook her head. "Anyways, that's enough blabbering about me."

"No, Kyra...I'm glad you felt like you could tell me that," he said softly.

"Well," she smirked. "Don't go thinking your special or anything."

Poe laughed, and the atmosphere lightened a bit. Kyra was thankful. Their previous conversation gave her the chance to ask a question that'd been weighing on her mind. "So...this might not be my place to act...but what is the significance of Lor San Tekka?" she asked. "I mean, why is he so important to The Resistance?"

Poe sighed. "Have you ever heard of Luke Skywalker?" he asked.

Kyra nodded, the name ringing a bell, before she smiled. "Yeah...actually. My grandmother used to tell me stories about him. He was a Jedi, right?"

"Yeah," Poe answered. "He's The General's brother. They fought together during the Rebellion."

Kyra felt her forehead crease. "You mean he's real? That's not just a story?"

Poe gave her an incredulous look. "Of course he's real."

Kyra shook her head. "My grandma made it sound like magic...The Force...The Jedi. All these characters. She told me about Leia, his sister...I guess I never made the connection that was General Organa."

Poe sighed. "Well, anyways. Luke Skywalker had his own Jedi training academy, but disappeared years ago, after Leia's son, Ben, turned to the dark side. That's a whole other story," he began. "No one knows where he is, but he left a map to his whereabouts in fragments. The Resistance has collected every part of the map, except for the last one, which is believed to be possessed by Lor San Tekka, an old friend of Luke's."

Kyra shivered, a sense of familiarity passing over her. She felt like she'd heard this story before. "So that's why were trying to find him? To ultimately find Luke."

Poe shook his head. "Truthfully, I'm skeptical he can do much to help The Resistance. But he's General Organa's brother, so I can't deny her requests. The First Order wants to find him as well, which is why we had the run-in with Captain Terex on our last mission. It's why we need to be careful here, so we aren't caught."

Nodding, Kyra tried her best to process the information that Poe had just shared with her. She felt so ignorant to the events of the original rebellion against the Galactic Empire. How could she have known so little about it? How could she have thought Luke wasn't real. She perplexed herself.

Poe squeezed her shoulder again and she found him gazing once more at her. Normally she tried to shake off feeling flustered but this was different, it felt more intimate all the sudden and Kyra grew hot under his touch.

Clearing her throat, she spoke. "I think it's best that we head to bed now," she offered him a weak smile.

Poe gave a gentle nod in agreement, removing his arm from around her and getting off the bed, heading into the refresher. Without the warmth of his arm around her, Kyra felt chilled to the bone again.

* * *

 **I swear this chapter took me years to write. Please let me know what you think!**

 **Thank you to: Shael Orthovin, Love. Fiction. 2017 and PuppyLover003 for your kind words of encouragement! They are always appreciated.**

 **Up Next: Kyra and Poe finish out the rest of their mission on Hoth, though they may run into some unexpected problems.**


	10. Stories

_Kyra ran across her backyard, her feet sinking into the plush grass as the sun began to set. Giggling, she turned back towards her little sister, Nara, who came running clumsily towards her._

 _"Get back here, Rebel Scum!" Nara ran, hardly able to control her giddy laughter despite their rather combative game._

 _Out of the corner of her eye, Kyra saw her father staring pensively at them when while they played their game. He'd only come outside to call them in for dinner, the sun was setting – casting a brilliant orange light across the sky._

 _As Kyra ran, she felt the earth underneath her feet, hardly paying attention to where she stepped, as she trusted herself to navigate the landscape, hopping over a small boulder that was nearly concealed in the darkened yard._

 _"Kyra! Slow down!" Nara whined, her gait growing sloppy. Before it even happened, Kyra reached out….but it was too late. Nara's foot caught on the rock and she plummeted to the ground. The game over, Kyra ran towards her sister, who clutched her knee to her chest._

 _Looking up, she saw her father barreling towards them, and Kyra took hesitant steps back as he scooped her little sister up in his arms and glared at her. "What did I tell you about these games?" he asked, turning before Kyra could answer._

 _"I-I'm sorry…." Kyra managed, but it was too late. Staring at his retreating form, Kyra felt tears well up in her eyes. Her father was always mad at her for something. To him, she'd never be able to do anything right, she knew that was how she felt._

 _Rather than go inside, Kyra retreated and sat on the shoreline of the beach where the grass met the sand next to their home and frowned, curling her knees to her chest. The sun dipped below the horizon, allowing the moon to cast its light on the lake and let her reflect in her own thoughts. It felt like she'd been alone for hours when she heard quiet footsteps retreating behind her._

 _"Kiki," she heard her grandmother, Zatre's soft voice from behind._

 _Kyra picked individual blades of grass with her hands, ripping them in two one by one, pursing her lips. "I already know what you're going to say," Kyra frowned, furrowing her brows, refusing to look back at the older woman._

 _"I don't think you do," she said, sitting down next to her granddaughter's hunched form. Kyra continued to mutilate grass blades until her grandmother broke the silence._

 _"Look at me, Kyra." Kyra did so begrudgingly, furrowing her eyebrows as she made eye contact. Zatre chuckled. "You know, you are just like your mother. So stubborn."_

 _Frowning, she looked out towards the water. "Is Nara okay?"_

 _"She just scraped her knee. Nothing your father can't fix." Kyra nodded, not responding as she looked up at the stars. "I made your favorite for dinner."_

 _"I'm not coming in." Kyra said. "Papa hates me."_

 _Clucking her tongue, her grandmother sighed. "Your father is doing his best to look out for you and your sister. He misses your mother. Someday-"_

 _"I'll understand." Kyra finished her sentence, looking over at Zatre. She had heard it a thousand times before. Every time her father would grow frustrated with her, her grandmother would assure her everything was fine; he was just looking out for them, he was still sad about her mother, she'd understand it all someday._

 _Zatre sighed. "Kyra, there is so much more you have to learn. About your mother. About yourself. But you must be patient. You still need to grow."_

 _Kyra huffed, though her mind dwelled on her grandmother's words._

 _"Should we go inside?" the older woman asked, standing. In her face held decades of knowledge; pain, happiness, experience. Despite her age, there was a strength to her; confidence. Kyra wished she could learn how to hold herself in the same regard. Zatre held out her hands to the little girl who sat next to her. Although she was not her blood, she loved her just the same._

 _Kyra nodded, taking her hand hesitantly as they made their way inside. In the dim light of the cozy kitchen, her father sat in front of Nara, who was perched on the counter, giggling. Her father secured a bandage around her knee._

 _"There you go," he tapped her leg, helping her down from the table. "All better. Now go get washed up for dinner." Glancing over, he noticed Kyra in the doorway. His voice hardened. "You too, Kyra."_

 _Kyra nodded quickly and obliged, walking past him to the small hallway that led to the refresher. It wasn't constructive to argue or disobey, especially not now. But when she heard her father whispering to her grandmother in the kitchen, she paused in the darkened hallway, just out of sight._

 _"I thought we agreed no more stories. If it weren't for you this never would have happened."_

 _She saw the light from the bathroom flicker on and the faucet run as her sister washed her hands. "It's just a scratched knee, Sven," her grandmother responded, sounding confident._

 _"It's not about her scratched knee. You can't go filling their minds up with nonsense. Especially not Kyra. You should know to be more careful," her father argued back, their voices still not rising louder than a hushed tone._

 _"It's not nonsense, it's the truth….. And sooner or later, she's going to find out. No matter how long you try to conceal it," her grandmother stood strong, challenging her son._

 _Kyra could almost hear her father shaking his head in response. Find out what? She murmured to herself, thinking about what they could have possibly meant. But she was interrupted by her happy-go-lucky sister who skipped down the hallway, dark hair tumbling over her shoulders._

 _"Kiki!" her sister said happily. "Will we finish the game tomorrow?"_

 _Frowning slightly, she shook her head. "You heard Papa. No more games, Nara."_

* * *

Kyra woke slowly, hazily, her body curled up in a fetal position. Lazily taking in her surroundings, it took her a moment to register where she was, until she recognized the tiny hotel room. _Hoth._ It had been frigid, so cold. But for some reason, she didn't feel chilled to the bone as she had earlier. _Why not?_

She became aware suddenly of the warmth she was pressed up against, the weight on her shoulder _. Poe._

Sometime while they were sleeping, he'd slung his arm across her shoulder, pulling her back against his chest. Upon realizing this, Kyra's whole body grew uncomfortably hot, her cheeks flushing. Her whole body felt like it was on fire and carefully, without waking him, she slipped out from under his arm and sat up, sliding off the bed.

Glancing back, she saw she hadn't disturbed him; he was still sleeping soundly. Tilting her head, she observed him, his usually tidy hair falling in his closed eyes. Kyra resisted the overwhelming urge to reach out and brush the wayward dark curls away from his face, something unfamiliar stirring in the pit of her stomach. Brushing it aside, she turned away from Poe and treaded lightly to the fresher.

She was quite embarrassed at the predicament she'd just found herself in, splashing some cold water on her face, the chill of the room hitting her again. Kyra knew it was foolish to be embarrassed; on Poe's behalf it was likely unconscious, he had just been cold. On the other hand, Kyra chuckled to herself, knowing that many in The Resistance would probably not object to Poe Dameron spooning them, even if it was just an accident. She decided not to worry about it.

After brushing her teeth, and taking a hot shower, Kyra dressed herself for the day, towel drying her hair. The running water must have woken Poe, because when she exited her room he'd woken, stretching as he perched on the side of the bed.

"Morning," he offered her an ornery smile, and Kyra felt her stomach twist. _Did he remember?_ She ignored it and acted as casual as she could.

"Morning," she quipped back lightly, keeping her voice even. She stepped towards him hesitantly as he approached her. "Are you feeling okay? ….After the crash yesterday?"

Poe nodded, his eyes fluttering shut for a moment as he stood across from her, carefully moving forward. "I'm doing alright, are you?"

Kyra gave him an easy smile. "I'm okay, I just wanted to double-check you didn't have any headaches or anything that may have risen overnight?"

"I'm okay, Kyra," Poe shook his head, and she retreated to her bag in the corner of the room where she put the clothes she had worn to bed. "Did you sleep well?" he asked, standing up and lazily throwing the covers back in place.

Kyra nodded. After yesterday's events, she could have slept well regardless of their place they were staying; she had been exhausted. "Yeah, it was nice."

"Good," he murmured, running his fingers through his unkempt hair. "I'll get ready, you should eat something quickly and then we can get going."

It only took them about a half hour to get ready, pack up, and eat quickly before they checked out of the inn. The storm from the night before had died down, but the streets were covered in high banks of snow that glittered in the uncharacteristically sunny sky. Despite the sun, it was still freezing, and Kyra followed Poe wordlessly, trudging through the white-covered ground. She had to basically march to make it through, which was proving to be difficult because her body was sore from the shock of the crash yesterday.

"What are we going to do about your ship?" she broke the silence.

"We'll need to pick up some supplies at a shop," Poe wrinkled his nose. I'd be nice though, if we could get a ride back to the ship. If The First Order has any idea we're here, we'll be screwed if they find us. We'll never make it back on foot."

Kyra felt her stomach drop. This was a top-secret mission, she hadn't even told Philomela she was leaving, just her supervisor. Maybe the others in the medical bay would infer what she was doing because of her absence, but she just hoped there was no way Terex could find them again. This time they didn't exactly have strength in numbers, or even a working ship.

"But first," Poe began, "We need to focus on why we're here. The man we're supposed to see lives just on the outskirts of town. It'll be safer for us out there, most people are friends of The Resistance, retired Alliance fighters."

Kyra let this soak in, thinking about what Poe had told her the night before. Luke Skywalker. She'd sit on the edge of her bed, leaning against her grandmother's firm, strong frame. Captivated, she'd listen to the stories about The Rebellion; The Force, The Jedi. It was such a distant memory. The galaxy was so much bigger than anything she could fathom, so much bigger than her modest childhood home, her father's farm. Beyond Dantooine there was so much more.

The walk to the man's home wasn't nearly as far as the walk into town had been, and since the storm had died down not nearly as treacherous. But she'd spent enough time on Hoth to know she never planned on visiting again.

Poe and Kyra entered the settlement, and she felt him grow tense, something he usually did a good job of concealing. The small cluster of worn-down homes seemed vacant of people, most of them likely inside staying close to the fire. Of course, maybe she was the only one who could sense it, they'd been partnered together for a couple months now, and she felt she was getting to know him as more than just a colleague. He was a friend, her partner in a sense.

There was smoke filtering out of the chimney of the small house Poe pointed out, letting them know that someone was inside. Poe lifted his hand and knocked on the door. Kyra sensed the presence of the person on the other side of the door, and suddenly it felt like a part of her future was in there, waiting.

* * *

 **Hey all, sorry for the delay. I had a bit of writer's block. Please let me know what you think!**


	11. Otherside

Kyra opened the door to her barrack. She began shedding of various pieces of uniform quickly; first her Resistance-issued boots, then her flightsuit, then her regulation shirt and pants, leaving a trail of clothing in her wake as she made her way into her refresher. Briefly, she took a look in the small, dirty mirror she hadn't cleaned in ages due to her hectic schedule. The woman who stared back at her looked as exhausted as she felt, but in her eyes she saw a shimmer that hadn't been there before, a spark.

Taking a deep breath, she switched on her shower and stepped beneath the spray. Due to water conservation rules, she only had eight minutes before it'd shut off, so even though all she wanted to do was let the water soothe her aching muscles, she knew there was no such luck.

The mission had ended in success, despite it beginning in disaster. They were able to get some solid leads on the location of Lor San Tekka, and they managed to get the supplies needed to fix Poe's ship. Now it was being thoroughly inspected by technicians to keep a crash of that nature from ever happening again. In the process they'd lost connection back to the Resistance Base and General Organa had laid into her and Poe when they'd gotten back, since she knew nothing of the incident.

Luckily, the former princess seemed at least somewhat pleased with the results of the mission, and was taking some time to think about what to do before giving them any further commands. This gave Kyra some much-needed time to rest.

The shock of the impact had made her entire body ache. All she wanted was a hot tea and copious amounts of sleep. As much as she didn't want to, she forced herself to clean up her room, throwing the dirtied clothes in a hamper before crawling under the covers, so close to relief.

But relief was lost on her when she heard a knock on her door. It was faint at first, so faint she thought she might be half asleep and dreaming. When the knock came again she tried to ignore it, hoping whoever it was would just go away, if they desperately needed her they'd call.

But whoever it was persisted, until she angry stalked out of bed, throwing a robe over her night clothes, a scowl on her face. "What in _Gods_ name-" she growled under her breath, throwing open the door so hard it hit the inside wall of her quarters with a muted thud.

"Oh," She felt her countenance relax when she saw Poe standing in front of her, looking more tired and disheveled than she felt. "Hi, Poe."

"Good evening," he responded.

"Is something the matter?" she asked, wondering why he could possibly be at her door this late.

Poe shook his head, a small smile playing on his lips, chuckling at her obvious grumpiness. She wondered how he could still have any energy after everything they'd been through. "No," he answered. "I was helping the technicians work on my ship. Felt it was wrong I got to go to bed and they didn't."

"That hadn't occurred to me," She answered, biting her lip. "Guess that's the reason why I'm not a commander."

"Nonsense. You've worked harder than I have," he said. "Between your shifts in the med bay and working with our squadron I doubt you ever get much sleep."

Kyra felt herself smile slightly, the energy he was giving off seemed to help her find whatever she had left. "If that's the case, then why are you here interrupting it?" she teased.

"I'm sorry," Poe began. "But I wanted to tell you I'm proud of you. I wanted to thank you for all your help. You've only been with us a few months but I can't imagine what it'd be like if for whatever reason you were transferred to another squadron."

Despite the emotion she felt bubbling inside, she tried to remain calm. "I'm just doing my job, Poe."

"I know...but I can't stop thinking about what you told me the other day, about how you said you felt like you didn't have a place here. You do. Maybe you don't feel like it, but you do," he said.

"I….I don't know what to say," Kyra said quietly, looking away from him. He was so kind to her, to everyone. She had always thought he'd be confident and cocky, and he was, sometimes. But right now she truly understood why he was considered one of The General's favorites, why he was in the position he was. Because he was an outstanding leader. "Thank you."

He nodded, then Kyra realized how rude she was being. "Would you like to come in?"

Poe shook his head. "No, I'll let you rest."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

He nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"I'll see you then," she nodded. "And you get some sleep too."

"I will, I will," he waved his hand at her as he backed away, walking down the hallway.

Kyra shut the door, unable to explain the unfamiliar affection that she felt coursing through her veins. She pushed the feeling aside, ignoring it in favor of curling back up in her bed.

 _Kyra stared at the front of the pub, frowning a moment, the man's words echoing in her mind._

"There's a place for you...with us."

 _She shook her head, trekking home with a sadness weighing heavy on her heart. And something else, lingering beyond. The energy she could never explain, it felt like it was pulling her back to the place where the man still sat. It was strange how they had kept running into each other all week long._

 _It had been seven years since she was last home. Seven years. Her grandmother had fallen ill and she was forced to travel to the opposite hemisphere of Dantooine back to her hometown to be with her family. It was smaller than she'd remembered, and still filled with the same people. Her reunion with her father had been friendly, but still terse. As much as she wanted to let it go, she was still unhappy as a result of his decision._

 _She entered her childhood home and headed up to the bedroom her and her sister had shared. Her sister, Nara, was in town with her husband, but they were staying at an inn down the street with their son._

" _Where have you been?" she was met with the voice of the man she'd been married to since she left home. Darin. His voice lacked any hostility, but she knew what the question was asked for. He was always keeping tabs._

" _I was running errands for my father," she said. Darin was reading under the lamplight, some glasses perched on his nose._

" _Your grandmother was asking for you," he said, not looking up at her._

 _Their arrangement wasn't the worst situation that could have happened. Her father had forced her into it, and she remembered how awful their wedding night was. But as time went on, it became less and less awkward and uncomfortable. It was a companionship, she wasn't happy, they weren't in love, but she recognized that things could be worse. He had paid for her medical school, had primarily given her freedom, but she still felt trapped._

 _Shortly after her younger sister had gotten married, her father had arranged the marriage, apparently feeling Kyra was too much of a burden living with them, even though she'd gotten a job and was saving up for school and was helping him put food on the table. But she'd never been her father's favorite, he wanted her out of the house as soon as possible. Kyra had been a troublemaker as a child, curious and outgoing, as she grew she tried her best to tame it, but it wasn't enough for him._

 _Kyra raced to her grandmother's bedroom upon hearing Darin's words, where she lay, all pale and weak. The life in her face, the sparkle that had always been in her eyes was all but gone. She brushed past her father and Nara, who stood in the doorway, kneeling by her grandmother's side._

" _Grandma?" she asked, kneeling by Zatre, staring at her. Her eyes were closed, her breathing was shallow, but she stirred, cracking an eye to look at her granddaughter._

" _My love," she said softly, looking over her shoulder. Her father and sister got the hint and exited the room, closing the door behind them. Kyra had to strain to hear her words. "Do you remember what I used to tell you when you were little?"_

 _Kyra shook her head, unable to recall her grandmother's words._

" _That someday you'd understand," her grandma answered. "Why your father was the way he was."_

 _Kyra nodded, feeling tears prick behind her eyes. She was close to losing the only mother figure in her life. The only woman who'd showed her compassion and understanding. "I remember," she said._

" _You're meant for more than this life," she whispered. "You're father thinks it's what's right for you….but you need to go."_

 _Kyra shook her head, her brows furrowing. "Where?"_

" _That man you met in town….you think he's here for just anyone?" she whispered. "This is your calling. The Resistance needs you."_

 _Kyra shook her head. "No, grandma. I can't leave now, not like this. Not while you're still here."_

 _Her grandmother gave a soft smile, her eyes closing. Despite her illness, she seemed comfortable, so at peace. "I don't want you here. You're not meant to be here. It's time for you to stop giving yourself to others. Live for yourself."_

 _Kyra shook her head, her grip tightening on Zatre's hand. "I love you."_

" _I love you, too, Kiki," she murmured softly, opening her eyes to stare at Kyra. "Now, go." The intensity in her gaze shocked Kyra, and she felt herself being pulled once again to the man sitting in the bar._

 _Her grandmother closed her eyes, letting her eyes close again, falling asleep. Kyra stood, backing away from the bed until she bumped into her father. Her breathing was unsteady as he looked down on her. How much had he heard? But instead, he nodded at his daughter, walking forward to sit again at Zatre's bedside._

 _Kyra retreated to her room. The shower water was running, Darin was in the refresher. And it dawned on her she had no other choice. The pull to the man she had met earlier was too strong for her to ignore now, like there was some type of magnet connecting the two of them and suddenly, she didn't feel bad for wanting to trust her instinct after ignoring it for so long._

 _She had to leave._

 _Grabbing a small bag, she threw a few personal items in it, a few changes of clothing. She sensed someone in the doorway, looking up to find her sister staring at her in disbelief, tears in her eyes. Having never been a good liar, Kyra's intentions were written all over her face._

 _But Nara surprised her, crossing the room and embracing her. "I'm going to miss you, Kyra. You're always going to be my big sister," she pulled away and smiled. "Please be safe."_

 _Kyra nodded, her hand cupping her sister's face before kissing her on the forehead. "I'll come home someday," she promised._

 _She took the back staircase, hoping to leave before Darin exited the shower and her father noticed she was gone. He would never forgive her for this, she was sure. But she had the rest of her family's support._

 _Slinging the bag over her shoulder, she exited the back door and snuck alongside the house. All she had to do was cross the front yard and get out of view from the front windows and she'd be gone._

" _Kyra!" her name was called, aggressively and angrily, and she whirled around to face her father._

" _Where could you possibly be going right now?" he asked, crossing the yard to stand in front of her._

" _I'm leaving," she said, standing tall, facing him head on for the first time in her life. "This isn't where I belong."_

" _And just exactly where do you think you belong?"_

" _This is the life you've created for me," she answered. "This is what you wanted for me, and I tried, for you. For so long. But I've never been more unhappy," her voice shook. "I'm not the favorite child, I've always been a burden to you. Isn't this what you wanted?"_

" _Is this really what you think I want?" he asked. "Since your mother passed I've only been doing what she wanted for you. I promised her I'd protect you. And that's exactly what I've done."_

" _You've forced me into a marriage I've never wanted on the opposite side of the planet," Kyra said. Her voice was growing shaky, cracking with emotion as adrenaline coursed through her veins, her voice growing into a shout. "I never see grandmother, my sister, who was my best friend! Is that protecting me?"_

 _He didn't answer, just shook his head, so she continued. "If that's protecting me, I've had enough. I'd rather die trying to find my purpose than spend another day living this….this….whatever you think this is," she gestured toward the house. "Grandmother is right. I've waited years for you to tell me more about my mother, about me. But I'm done waiting. I'm going to have to find out by myself."_

 _She expected him to lash out, to drag her back into the house and force her to stay. But instead, he took in deep, ragged breaths. "Be careful," she couldn't tell by his tone whether he was warning her, or really earnestly wanted her to look out for herself. But she knew her time was running out, so she turned around to trek in the direction of the bar._

 _Just as she was approaching it, the man she'd spoken to earlier exited, and paused when he saw Kyra in front of her with her bag slung over her shoulder. "I'm coming with you," she said sternly._

 _He smiled slightly, nodding. "I knew you would."_

 _She didn't have much else to say, her altercation with her father now weighing heavily on her mind. So she followed him a few miles out of town, nervously looking back over her shoulder, hoping no one followed them. But the man in front of her didn't seem to be phased, strolling confidently. Kyra tried her best to imitate his posture. The ship he led her to was smaller than she expected, but had the Resistance symbol on it's wings._

 _It was then that she suddenly felt a wave of energy hit her, so hard it nearly knocked her off her feet. Grandma, she thought. Her grandma was gone. She could feel it. And she stared back, down at the little town she'd lived in, an overwhelming urge told her to run back, to apologize and live her life without complaining, without asking questions. She closed her eyes, trying to decide what to do._

" _Go. There is nothing for you here anymore."_

 _Her eyes snapped open, her grandmother's voice in her ear clear as day. But there was no one around. Just the pilot she'd walked here with, who was busy readying the ship. She knew she could trust him, and she needed to start trusting herself._

* * *

 **I apologize. It's been so long since the last time I've updated. I still love this story, and have had tons of ideas for it. I will continue to update it, maybe just not as regularly as I was. Please forgive me. Let me know what you think.**


	12. Titles

Kyra awoke to the sound of her comlink buzzing, and while she was tempted to ignore the incoming message, she knew better than to behave so irrationally, especially considering that she was on call to come into the med bay if she was needed.

But when she looked at the clock on her bedside table, she was surprised to find that it was nearly noon, and she had mostly slept the day away. The incoming call was from none other than Poe Dameron, her friend. Despite this, as a Commander, however, she still reported to him, and if this was important, she could get in trouble for not answering.

Clearing her throat, she answered the call, but her raspy morning voice still remained despite her efforts to sound like she was awake. "Hello?" she asked.

"Kyra?" Poe's tone was one of surprise. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she answered, clearing her throat again. "Very well-rested, you could say?"

His low chuckle came through to her. "I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

"Yes," she said, stretching her legs and rolling onto her stomach. "But it's okay, I should be getting up anyhow," She knew very well if it weren't for his call she'd still be sleeping. "Why are you calling? Am I needed?"

"Not for business," he began. "I know you mentioned you had the day off today, and I had to go into town and run errands, would you like to keep me company?"

Kyra stared at the stack of books next to her bedside, her original plan for the afternoon had been to catch up on some reading, specifically more about the Galactic Civil War, since she had realized how out of touch she was when Poe mentioned it on their last mission. A long walk to the river close to the base was her usual way to spend an afternoon off, something she was rarely awarded these days.

Normally, she wouldn't sacrifice time alone for anything, but she had developed quite a strange affection for the curly haired pilot who she saw so often. She was a bit ashamed, as she was no better than the other Resistance men and women who fawned over Poe, but he lived up to his own legacy. She'd expected him to be cocky and overconfident, and he was; but he managed to balance it out with his charm and kindness. Whatever it was, she needed to get over it soon, before it became a distraction, or worse.

So despite her better judgement, she accepted his offer. "That sounds nice," she said, tilting her head from side to side to release the stiffness in her neck, wincing when it cracked. "I'd like to come along."

"Great, well, how about we meet up in about forty-five minutes?" Poe asked. "So you can stretch and wake up?" she could hear the slight teasing tone to his voice.

"That works perfectly," she said. "I just need to change and freshen up quickly, I'll see you then."

* * *

Kyra met Poe on the pathway to town, after showering and dressing relatively quickly. It was the first time she'd been on the Resistance base that she realized how few personal belongings she had. The few garments she'd brought when she'd fled her home were growing thin, tattered, and torn, and she made a mental note to maybe buy some new plainclothes for herself. She'd thrown on a thin tunic and pants, the most acceptable-looking ones she owned, and then decided that it would be good enough on her own.

Poe looked put together, clean and crisp as always, making her slightly self-conscious about her tattered rags. But she supposed, however, it didn't really matter, and she doubted he even cared.

He gave her a genuine grin, the familiar one she'd seen before that lit up his whole face and reached his eyes. It was a rare sunny day on D'Qar, warm and bright, and Kyra found herself squinting in the unfamiliar sunlight. Somewhere she'd heard that General Organa specifically chosen D'Qar to be the hidden base of the Resistance for it's normally thick cloud cover and even denser forests that covered the entire small planet.

"You're right on time," Poe kidded as she approached him where he sat on a tree stump.

"I would have tried to be earlier if it weren't for the fact that my bed was feeling particularly comfortable today," Kyra quipped back as he stood, beginning to take the path into town and she fell into step beside him.

"What exactly do you have planned?" she asked Poe.

"Well, I have to drop a couple things off to be fixed, and then I thought maybe we could get something to eat," he suggested. "Truth be told, I'm getting a bit sick of the food at the commissary."

"I have to agree," Kyra answered. "That sounds good. I think I need to stop at one of the clothing stores and buy myself some proper plainclothes," she said. "These ones are almost falling apart."

"Of course," Poe answered. "I have the whole day off, what about you?"

"Me too," she answered. "I can't remember the last time this has happened."

The walk into town went much quicker than she had remembered, considering that Poe and her talked along the whole way. While she had always considered herself pretty introverted, similar to how she remembered her mother being, she felt comfortable enough to have longer conversations with Poe, as he listened intently and never interrupted her.

And Poe himself had many interesting stories to tell, considering that she learned his parents both were pilots in the Rebel Alliance, so he'd been raised in this environment and stayed in it his whole life. He was pretty much born to be a part of the Resistance. Kyra found her childhood, which she'd often looked back at with fondness, to be dull in comparison.

Poe revealed that his parents had fought alongside Luke Skywalker in the Galactic Civil War, which she found fascinating.

"So that's why you know so much about the Rebellion," Kyra said. "It all makes sense now."

"Well, you said so yourself your grandmother told you about it," Poe answered.

"Yeah," she said. "But she presented them as stories. At least, that's what I thought they were. It was strange. For some reason I only have vague memories of them. My father wasn't very fond of her telling me and my sister stories."

"That's strange," Poe said, wrinkling his brow. "I wonder if there's a reason he didn't want you knowing about them. Is that why you don't speak to him any longer?"

Kyra shook her head. "Partly. My father and I had a strained relationship my whole life. He had all these plans for me, but never once considered what I wanted for myself. I never felt like he was really my father, no parent would treat their child like he treated me. Like he ignored everything I wanted, never attempted to explain why."

"That's strange," when she looked over at Poe, his brow was furrowed, but he was staring at her intently.

"When I left to join the Rebellion he said he was only trying to protect me, that it was what my mother wanted. None of that makes any sense, that was so unlike her," Kyra wrinkled her nose.

"Do you remember much of your mother at all?" Poe asked.

Kyra shook her head. "I was so young when she passed away. She was so kind and tender….but…there was a sadness about her, like she could have had everything she wanted but had lost it all," shaking her head, Kyra sighed. "I try not to think of it….it makes me too sad to think of."

Poe frowned. "Well, we can talk about something else, then."

"Good idea," she gave a weak smile. "And how about your mother?"

"She was a lot like me," Poe smiled. "My father is a bit more reserved, serious, calculating, though he has a good heart. My mother was a bit more wild and fun-loving. They made a good pair, I suppose, he kept her level-headed. But my mother was the own who originally taught me to fly. It's kind of in my bones."

"I'll say," Kyra answered with a smile.

They had arrived at the small pawn shop in the town, and Poe went inside while Kyra opted to stay outside to enjoy the fresh air. And, to be fair, after the lengthy conversation with Poe about her parents, she needed it. Something about remembering her family gave her a slight sense of uneasiness. There were years of her life she realized she had completely forgotten, details she couldn't remember, almost as if her brain was refusing to share the memories. It felt wrong to think about, but on the other hand, it was unsettling that she knew so little about her past.

Thankfully, Poe stopped her from dwelling on it when he exited the pawn shop and they moved along to the next store.

"So, I have another question," Kyra began, deciding it was finally time to change the subject.

Poe turned his head to look at her in acknowledgement, and she continued.

"Who is this Captain Terex?"

Poe took in a deep breath. "Well, I could take hours to get into it, but I'll give you the abridged version."

"I appreciate that," Kyra said.

Poe smiled. "He's with the First Order. We've had run-ins in the past and he doesn't particularly care for anyone in the Resistance, obviously, but he seems to really have it out for me." He sighed. "From what me and General Organa have gathered, there seems to be some sort of campaign from the First Order to sabotage our mission to find the last piece of the map to Luke Skywalker."

Kyra frowned. "So that explained why he followed us to Ovanis."

Poe nodded. "Yeah, and I doubt that's the last we'll see of him. We'll do the best we can to avoid anymore confrontations, but sometimes it feels like the First Order is one step ahead of us. We just can't let that map get into the hands of Kylo Ren, or it might be the end of us."

Kyra felt her stomach turn at his last sentence, because she knew it was true. Truth be told, she wasn't sure what piece Luke Skywalker was to fit the puzzle that was defeating the First Order, but the man she'd believed to be a legend her whole life had to have some sort of solution to all this.

Just as she and Poe were about to enter the clothing store, her comlink buzzed. She glanced at it quickly, assuming it was just Philomela telling her a story after she had gotten off work - they often shared anecdotes after particularly difficult shifts, but was shocked when she saw General Organa's name staring back at her

"Is something the matter?" Poe asked her as he watched Kyra's face fall flat as she read the message.

"General Organa wants me to meet her in an hour," Kyra frowned, taking in a shaky breath. "This doesn't sound good for me."

"I'm sure it's fine," Poe reassured her. "She likes you a lot."

Kyra shook her head. "I don't know, but I better get going," she took a few steps backwards.

"Do you want me to come with you? Back to base?"

Kyra shook her head again, knowing she'd be bad company as she'd be too busy trying to run every possible scenario that could happen during this meeting through her head. It was only in her nature. "No, I have to get back pretty quickly so I can change."

Poe nodded. "Are you sure?"

"I'm positive," she smiled. "Finish your errands, and enjoy your day off."

She was slightly startled when Poe reached out and squeezed her arm reassuringly. "You have nothing to worry about, I'm sure you'll be fine." The touch was surprisingly comforting, and she gave him a smile before saying her goodbyes and retreating.

Even if Poe knew what General Organa had planned for her, and she knew very well it was possible he did, he would never tell her, as it wasn't his business.

* * *

One hour later, Kyra found herself waiting outside General Organa's office, a once unfamiliar place she had found herself in quite often recently. Cracking her knuckles one by one, trying her best to breath deeply and not be nervous, she was once again met with a strange wave of confidence. There was a reason she was here, she had done nothing to deserve any type of scolding.

When her office door slid open and an unfamiliar woman exited. She gave Kyra a small smile and Kyra stood to see the former princess in her doorway, waving her inside. The woman was always unreadable, but that was what made her so good at what she did.

"I'm sorry to have bothered you on you day off," General Organa began once the door closed behind her, "But this should only take a few minutes and you can go back to what you're doing."

"You've been here what? A little over a year?" General Organa asked.

Kyra nodded, as she was encouraged to make herself comfortable. She sat stiffly in a chair across from the General. "I have to admit, I had my doubts about adding a doctor to Black Squadron, as I wasn't sure if it'd be helpful considering the complexity of the mission you've been assigned. But Colonel Vendar recommended you as the best person for the job, and it seems he was right."

"Commander Dameron has essentially sung your praises, and every other pilot in Black Squadron only has kind things to say."

"We're holding a promotion ceremony in one week, and I'm pleased to inform you that you've been promoted to the rank of Captain, effective once the ceremony is over."

Kyra let out a laugh, that sounded to her, almost sarcastic. "Seriously?"

General Organa turned to her. "Why would I go to all this trouble if I wasn't serious?"

Kyra felt herself straighten up. "I apologize, I wasn't thinking. I'm just shocked, is all. I wasn't expecting this."

General Organa's face softened then. "I don't see why its surprising. You've really stood out since you've arrived here. You work hard without complaint, without expecting any awards, and you cause almost no trouble, unlike your friend Commander Dameron. As much as I love him, he can be a bit of a pain sometimes."

Kyra smirked at this, as she had to agree. "Keep up the good work, you have a bright future here."

"Thank you," She answered sincerely.

"Now you may go, and enjoy the rest of your day off."

Kyra nodded, standing up and shaking hands with The General before retreating from the office, not quite sure how to process the information she'd just been delivered.

* * *

 **I would like to give a MASSIVE apology to all the followers of this story. I was on an inspiration dry spell, but it's really my fault and I'm going to chalk it up to some poor planning on my part and would like to reassure you I will STILL be updating this.**

 **At this point, I feel I've created some plot holes, but let me tell you, I have big plans for this, hoping to turn it into a series eventually. I am not going to lie, I was not a massive fan of The Last Jedi. I'm not going to get into it, but I will definitely be changing some plot points in the universe when the time comes. This whole story really needs a massive rewrite but to be honest, whenever I am following a fanfic and the author stops to rewrite the whole thing, it's really frustrating. So if you see plot holes, do me a huge favor and let me know in a review or PM, and I will correct them as I go, because I feel that having a few small plot holes doesn't mean I need to rewrite the whole thing.**

 **Anyways, thanks for your support and let me know what you think of this chapter! I really have loved watching Kyra grow so far and hope feel the same.**


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